Fire Prevention Week

It's Fire Prevention Week. Actually, it's been Fire Prevention Week since Sunday, and I forgot to say anything. I guess I was too busy plotting a culinary revolution on the home front. Hey, my motives weren't that bad . . . all I wanted was despotic rule over the kitchen. If you are a new reader, you’ll have to check out my two previous posts . . . I’m not going to explain it all again.

In case you think I’m some kind of domestic tyrant, I cooked prime rib for dinner yesterday. A perfectly normal, average Canadian meal. Boring, but delicious.

By the way, did you know cooking mishaps are the leading cause of fires in both Canada and the US? Check out the NFPA site for lots of interesting and educational fire statistics. You can also visit the Fire Marshal's Public Safety Council web site for an Ontario take on fire safety.

Later today, I get to go to the school and hang out with the kids under the guise of educating them about fire safety. School visits are the highlight of my year. I like the kids, and they at least put on a good show of liking me. If you were a kid, and the fire chief showed up with cool stories, prizes, and a guaranteed 30 – 40 minute break from math and history, you’d at least pretend to like him too.

Kids can have an aversion to things that look too educational. My strategy is to get them having so much fun, they learn something in spite of themselves. If the education part of the day at least balances out equal to the fun we're going to have, then the day will have been a success.

If you have kids and they like Internet games, try this site and this one too.

Click here if you want to participate in the Great Canadian Fire Drill. And while I'm inundating you with a flood of information, I might as well give you this link as well. It is perhaps the most user-friendly site for fire safety tips.

And don't forget to test your smoke alarms! It is Fire Prevention Week you know.