There's likely nothing worse than having an Airdrie firefighter knock on your door in the middle of the night to tell you your house is on fire.

There's also nothing better than having the same firefighter knock on your door in the middle of the day to tell you he's there to make sure you and your family know what to do in the event of a fire.

That's going to happen in some Airdrie communities over the course of the next month as the Airdrie Fire Department conducts its annual Home Safety Campaign.

Deputy Fire Chief Garth Rabel says the focus of this year's campaign will be precisely the same as every other year.  "That's to have Airdrie firefighters working with families within our community the help them better understand the safety concerns in their homes and how to mitigate and put in mechanisms to protect their family in the event of a fire."

Rabel explains that crews will give out comprehensive checklists for every room in the home which addresses potential fire risks.  He says, "We really emphasize the importance of working smoke alarms and working carbon monoxide detectors within the home and then the family having an escape plan so, in the event that something happens, they can get out safely on their own."

The fire crews will be checking that all smoke alarms and CO detectors are working.  If they find any that aren't, they'll install new ones.  ATCO gas is a partner in the program and has donated the CO detectors.

Rabel says while it's important to have a family escape plan, it's just as important to practice that plan.  "Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, when they activate, you need to do something.  The real important thing that you need to be able to do is implement that home escape plan.  So when you test those alarms, you also test your plan and that's a great opportunity to see how they align with each other."

This year, residents who live in Silver Creek (Silver Springs Way NW, Creek Springs Road NW), Thorburn (Thornfield Place SE, Thornfield Close SE), and Prairie Springs (Prairie Springs Green SW, Prairie Springs Close SW, Prairie Springs Bay SW, Prairie Springs Drive SW) will receive a visit from the firefighters before May 15th.  Rabel says the crews enjoy their visits to the home, and, by the comments they've received over the years, the feeling is mutual.

"We've received extremely positive feedback," says Rabel.  "When the crews are on the street and raise the profile of safety in our community, people know that we're here to serve them, not just in crisis, but when it's calm as well so that we can really help them enhance safety in their home for themselves and their families."

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