Next week is fire prevention week, and Fire Chief Chris Cole wants to remind all residents to have their furnaces, fire places and all wood-burning appliances cleaned and inspected.

While the majority of fires in the Wainfleet area fall into the same leading cause as the rest of the province - cooking and candles - Cole said Wainfleet has another problem to deal with.

"Being a rural community a lot of people are still using wood-burning appliances and fireplaces," he said. "Before the cold weather really comes people need to check to make sure everything is ready to go."

During the cold weather months the fire department responded to a number of calls relating to wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. Cole said creosote, condensed gas that builds up from smoke, is the main culprit in these cases. The substance can be highly flammable.

Next week members of Wainfleet's fire department will be doing demonstrations at all five of Wainfleet's elementary schools. The department will be targeting children in kindergarten to Grade 3.

"If you teach kids fire safety at an early age it tends to stick," said the fire chief. "Kids are very receptive to information and will bring the message back to their household."

Parents who don't follow smoke alarm legislation might be getting a lesson from their kids after next week, Cole said.

Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 5 to 11. The theme this year is preventing home fires.

According to the Ontario Fire Marshal's office there are about 1,500 cooking related fires across the province each year, and many more are not reported.