The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Is your cottage protected? With the arrival of summer, many people are escaping to the cottage for carefree days of sun, fun and relaxation. Cottage life and living in town are very different and we look forward to not having the usual worries. But cottage living brings its own set of safety concerns, including the risk of fire. Reminding yourself of the risks and learning more about safety precautions should be part of getting ready for cottage season. Fire chiefs across Canada feel the vast majority of cottage properties are ill-equipped for a fire emergency. More than one in 10 Canadians have experienced a fire in their home, but many still think it won't happen to them. A national study commissioned by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) reveals that 48 percent of Canadians feel they have almost no chance of being in a house fire. "One of the most crucial precautions a cottage owner can take is to have a working smoke alarm," says Raffi Nersesian, spokesperson for Kidde Safety Canada. Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are common items for protection in most people's homes and yet it is estimated that fewer than 10% of all cottages in Canada currently have working alarms. Given the remote locations of many cottages and the long distances fire departments may need to travel to combat a blaze, the need for working alarms at the cottage is crucial. Did you know that simply having an operating smoke alarm in the cottage cuts the possibility of dying from a fire in half? So, be safe this summer at the cottage with the proper fire emergency precautions
