Winnipeg fire crews begin inspecting streets, back lanes

Winnipeg firefighters are keeping an eye onresidential back lanes, yards and streets for possible fire hazards this spring and summer, in hopes of reducing the number of arsons.

Marea Oliveiralives in the West End and said this year garbage has been piling up close to her garage.

"This year [is]very bad," she said.

"Too much garbage, it's terrible."

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service launched its annual neighbourhood fire prevention inspection program on Thursday.

As part of the program, fire crews are checking outneighbourhoods in between calls and contacting property owners if they seefire risks such as large pieces of discarded furniture and derelict and vacant homes.

Sheila Hazzardwas raking outside her downtown home when the crews paid her a visit.

"If more people would put effort it would be totally clean," she told CBC.

"We need more people to get involved."

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Captain Marc Proulx shows you back lanes with potential fire hazards

8 years ago

Duration 1:14

Crews from the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic service are combing back lanes looking for fire hazards and knocking on doors to educate people on how to reduce fire risks on their own property."The firefighters routinely are out on the street for a variety of reasons, and when they're on the way back to the station, they drive through the community. They make a point of going down the lanes they know these areas quite intimately and they look at problem spots, and they look for accumulations of waste," Mark Reshaur, assistant chief of prevention and public education, told reporters on Thursday.

"They then go to the door. They try to contact the owner of the property and educate the property owner regarding what's going on and encourage them to correct the problem. They'll also refer the problem to appropriate agencies to follow up."

Reshaur said while back lanes are inspected throughout the year, the fire paramedic service makes a big push in the spring, as the weather warms up and residents start cleaning their homes, yards and garages.

Firefighters have had to deal with a number of arsons in recent weeks, most recently a blaze in a vacant house in the 400 block of Sherbrook Street early Thursday morning.

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A mattress placed against the back door of the home was set on fire, police said.

"There are more fires at this time of the year. Nobody's claiming that's not the case," Reshaur said.

"But what is true is that the number of fires we're experiencing right now are well within the average for this time of year."

While back lanes are overall in "quite good" condition, there will always be some lanes that are cause for concern, he said.

"You're always going to find some that look awful. It just takes one night, one property owner, one construction project in a couple hours, and it can be quite a mess," he said.

"We need to be dealing with fire prevention in a proactive manner," he added. "We need to get ahead of the problem if we ever want to deal with the problem. We can't be chasing it constantly."

Reshaur and Capt. Marc Proulx, the fire paramedic service's public education co-ordinator,showed reporters an example of a cleaned-up back lane on Sargent Avenue and Langside Street.

They credited the work of fire and paramedic staff, city bylaw and police personnel, other city departments and property owners with ensuring those lanes are clear of fire hazards.

Fire prevention tips

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service offers thesetips to residents to reduce the risk of arson in their neighbourhoods:

• Keep shrubs and trees near buildings trimmed and watered.
• Store flammable material safely.
• Dispose of garbage, leaves, lumber and bulky waste (such as mattresses or couches) properly and promptly.
• Ensure that your shrubs and flower beds are regularly cleared of dead plant matter.
• Do not extinguish cigars or cigarettes in potted plants. Potting soil and peat moss can be flammable.
• Keep firewood well away from your house or garage.
• Keep doors and windows secured. Don't use double-keyed locks or bars on bedroom windows that could trap a person inside during a fire.
• Keep locks, hinges, frames, doors and windows in good repair. Check skylights, roof hatches, fences and gates regularly to ensure they are secured.
• Use motion-activated lights to brighten the outside of your home or garage.
• Be alert to any smoke or unusual odours.
• Smoke alarms won't stop a fire, but they can save your life. Make sure you have working smoke alarms installed and change the batteries every year. Test your alarms monthly.
• Develop and practice a home escape plan and regularly review it with your family.
• Only use fire pits and other fire receptacles that are approved by the City of Winnipeg's neighbourhood liveability bylaw. Never leave an open fire unattended. Don't use fire pits when wind speeds are higher than 25 km/h.