Local secret

Dear sir:
If you had a fire in your home/cottage, would you know where the fire extinguisher was? Are you sure that it would be the proper type? You’re absolutely certain you know how to use it?
Do you know what to look for in a monthly (yes, monthly) inspection (along with the smoke alarm)?
Sadly, your answer to all these questions is likely “no.”
There is a great secret in Fort Frances/International Falls. Our community is blessed to have former deputy fire chief, Charlie Turgeon, instructing a free interactive seminar on fire safety.
I had an opportunity to attend this extraordinary class, generously supported by Abitibi-Consolidated and North Air Services, with my teens (aged 14).
It was absolutely wonderful, informative, and, surprisingly, lots of fun!
I’m sure most of you would think that four hours (really!) in fire safety would be brutally tedious. Not so! We put out a real (Class ‘B’) gasoline fire.
This class was totally captivating and intriguing—a credit to Charlie Turgeon’s warm teaching style, obvious love for people, and sincere desire to share his wealth of knowledge/experience.
You might be curious—what did my teens think? “. . . boring? No way! We learned a lot! Everyone should have this training . . . some of the information will surprise you. . . . We wish this course could be taught at high school.”
Make it a personal goal to attend this free seminar. You will be highly rewarded with a “hands on,” interactive course that leads to a critical lifetime skill.
Oh! There’s just one catch. Regrettably, it is only offered once a year. What a loss! Perhaps we could encourage (hint!) our community leaders, especially schools, to better support Mr. Turgeon’s wisdom in presenting this valuable information tool to our community.
Abitibi and North Air continue to recognize and support the value of this “fireman extraordinaire.” Do you?
If I have “sparked” (pun intended) your interest, think about this: “If you never need what you learn about fire safety, you have lost nothing. If you never learn what you need to know, you may lose everything, including your life.”
Signed,
Daphne Rogoza
Fort Frances, Ont.