It was a demonstration of a life and death situation in Thornbury on Saturday afternoon, as firefighters demonstrated the importance of home sprinkler systems.

The Blue Mountain fire department set two fires at its annual open house to give residents an idea as to how effective and efficient a sprinkler system can be, and how every second counts in a house fire.

Fire prevention officer Duncan Rydall says he’s all for mandatory sprinklers.

“It’s a no-brainer for me to say all new residential homes should be sprinklered,” says Rydall, “It’s like having a firefighter waiting in each and every room in your house in case there is a fire.”

So far this year, there have been 71 fire fatalities in the province compared to the 58 at this time last year. This demonstration comes as Fire Safety Prevention Week comes to an end in municipalities across the province.