Fire & Emergency Services
Fire Safety Tips:
- Fire Prevention - Safety Tips
- Home Fire Escape Plan (260k pdf)
- Carbon Monoxide Detectors
- Smoke Detectors:
- Hot Water Safety (544k pdf)
- Kitchen Safety
- Babysitters - Emergency Info (156k pdf)
- Parents Guide - Babysitting
- Parents & Babysitters Safety (257k pdf)
- Home Fire Prevention Checklist (453k pdf)
For seasonal safety tips click here.
FIRE SAFETY TIPS
- Install smoke alarms outside the bedroom area and every level of the home.
- Replace smoke alarms every ten years.
- Change the battery in every home smoke detector at least once a year or if the low battery warning beeps, replace the battery immediately.
- Test your smoke alarms once a month using actual smoke from a candle or smoke from a smouldering cotton string.
- Always keep a large lid near the stove when you are cooking. If a pot catches fire, slide the lid over the pot and turn off the stove.
- Never put water on a burning pot or try to move it to the sink or the outdoors.
- Keep all combustible items away from the burners of a stove.
- Don’t reach for danger, be sure to wear tight-fitting or rolled up sleeves when using a stove.
- Do not use extension cords in place of permanent wiring.
- Provide deep, substantial ash trays for smokers, and ensure that the contents are placed in a metal container or toilet each evening before retiring.
- Never smoke in bed – bedding can ignite.
- Have a qualified service person check all furnace safety controls, the chimney, and flue connection for leaks and clean the furnace at least once a year.
- Remove oversized fuses. A 15 ampere fuse is required for regular domestic circuits and, if in doubt, consult a qualified electrician.
- Develop an escape plan and practice it periodically.
- Install a carbon monoxide detector on every level of the home.
- Have a qualified person clean the chimney and woodstove before burning season.
- Burn seasoned wood only. Never use a woodstove as an incinerator.
- Keep lighters and matches away from children.
- Keep portable heaters away from combustibles.
- Never take an elevator when there is a fire in a multi-level building.
- If your clothes catch fire, STOP, DROP and ROLL.
- Check your local Fire Department on regulations for open air burning.
- When installing smoke alarms, keep away from ceiling fans.
- Inspect Christmas light strings before reusing them. Any strings that have frayed cords, cracks in the lamp holders or loose connections should be discarded.
- Make sure Christmas light strings and cords, spotlights and floodlights are CSA certified and marked for outdoor use.
- Plug all outdoor lighting into receptacles protected by waterproof ground fault circuit interruptors (GFCI). A GFCI senses leakage current on the grounding conductor and cuts the electrical power immediately to prevent damage or injury.
Carbon Monoxide
| What is Carbon Monoxide? |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that kills, unless detected early. CO is a by-product of incomplete combustion of any fossil fuels such as natural gas, propane, heating oil, kerosene, coal, charcoal, gasoline or wood burn, etc. |
| What are the symptoms of CO poisoning? |
CO kills by displacing the oxygen in your blood. When CO replaces enough oxygen, your body begins to suffocate from the inside out, initially causing flu-like symptoms:
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| What are the sources of CO? |
Almost every home has potential sources of CO. Older homes are susceptible because of malfunctioning appliances and faulty ventilation. Due to today’s more energy efficient air tight homes, the risk of CO poisoning may be even higher.
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Fire Safety in the Kitchen
| Put a lid on it! |
| Always keep a large lid near the stove when you are cooking. If a pot catches fire, slide the lid over the pot and turn off the stove. Never put water on a burning pot or try to move it to the sink. |
| Keep an eye on your frying |
| Never leave cooking unattended - particularly if you are using oil or high temperatures. A stovetop fire can start in a flash, so keep a close eye on your cooking at all times. |
| Don't reach for danger |
| Be sure to wear tight-fitting or rolled up sleeves when using the stove. A dangling sleeve on a housecoat or sweater can easily brush against a hot burner and catch fire. |
| Fight or flight? |
| A fire extinguisher can be a useful safety item - if you know how to operate it. Use a multi-purpose, listed extinguisher that is right for your particular kitchen. Fire extinguishers must only be used on small, contained fires. Never allow the fire to get between you and your exit. |
| Clear the clutter |
| Combustible items, such as wooden or plastic cooking utensils, dishcloths, paper towels and pot holders, can easily ignite if they are too close to a burner. Keep all combustible items a safe distance from your stove. |
| Cool a burn |
| If you experience a kitchen burn, immediately run cool water over the wound for several minutes. The water will prevent further burning and relieve the pain. If the burn is severe, seek medical attention. |
| Prevent fire: use a fryer |
| Deep fat frying is a major kitchen hazard. Oil heated in a pot on the stove can easily overheat and bust into flames. Fire departments recommend that you use only a thermostatically-controlled deep fat fryer. |
| Snooze - you lose |
| Many night time fires are caused by people attempting to cook while under the influence of alcohol. Don't let this happen in your home. Keep a close eye on drinkers and install a smoke alarm on every level of your home. |
FIRE SAFETY For Parents And Baby-Sitters
Parents
- Never leave children alone if they are not capable of taking care of themselves.
- Know your baby-sitter: choose a person who has a sense of responsibility, a liking for children, and, if possible, who lives in the same neighbourhood.
- Review these quidelines with your baby-sitter.
- Leave both written and oral instructions with your baby-sitter, including:
- where you will be, how you can be contacted (exact address, phone number) and when you will return;
- the name, address and phone number of a responsible neighbour to be contacted in an emergency;
- the complete address of your residence;
- where the exits are located;
- where the phone is located;
- how to call the fire department, police, or a doctor in an emergency;
- Provide your baby-sitter with a flashlight in case there is a power failure.
Baby-Sitters
In The Event of a Fire
Your First Responsibility
Is The Safety of the Children
- If you smell smoke or gas, take the children immediately to a safe location outside the building
- Never waste time dressing the children - a blanket will do, even in cold weather
- Do not turn on any switches as this may cause a spark and an explosion.
- Never go back into a burning building for any reason whatsoever. Smoke and gas are dangerous, even from a very small fire.
- Have a neighbour call the Fire Department.
INSTALL SMOKE ALARMS
It's the Law!!
Every home in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas.
Homeowners - It is the responsibility of the homeowners to install and maintain smoke alarms on every storey of their home and outside sleeping areas.
Landlords - It is the responsibility of landlords to ensure their rental properties comply with the law. .
Tenants - If you are a tenant of a rental property and do not have the required number of smoke alarms, contact your landlord immediately. It is against the law for tenants to remove the batteries or tamper with the alarm in any way.
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For further Information about smoke alarms, contact the fire department. |
Questions and Answers about Smoke Alarms
What are smoke alarms?
Smoke alarms are devices that combine smoke detection and alarm capabilities in one unit. Smoke alarms are powered either by batteries or by being directly wired to the home's electrical system. Certain types can be interconnected so that the sounding of one smoke alarm causes all the smoke alarms in the system to sound.
There are two types of smoke alarms.
There are two types of smoke alarms, ionization and photoelectric. While the way they operate varies, both types are effective in providing detection and early warning of fire. Ionization smoke alarms use a small amount of radioactive material to create an electric current through ionized air. When smoke enters the detection chamber, it impedes or reuces the flow of current and causes the alarm to sound. Photoelectric smoke alarms use a light source and photocell. When smoke enters the detection chamber, it scatters the light beam deflecting it to the photocell and causes the alarm to sound.
Where should smoke alarms be located?
If one smoke alarm is used, it should be located between the bedrooms and living areas of your home, normally in a corridor or hallway, so that it is audible to persons sleeping in the bedrooms.
Improved levels of protection can be achieved by installing smoke alarms on each floor level of a home.
Smoke alarms should be installed on the ceiling in the centre of a room or hallway at least 150 mm (6 in.) from vertical surfaces such as walls. If ceiling mounting is impractical for some reason, wall-mounted smoke alarms should be located between 150 mm (6 in.) and 300 mm (12 in.) from the ceiling.
Important points about smoke alarms
- Only smoke alarms that comply with ULC S531-1987 "Standard for Smoke Alarms" are legal for sale in Canada under the Hazardous Products Act. When purchasing smoke alarms, accept only units that bear the Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada (ULC) label.
- The sensitivity of a smoke alarm is factory set to ULC standards. Never attempt to adjust this setting yourself.
- Ionization type smoke alarms contain a minute amount of radioactive material. The amount is not considered to be a health hazard.
- Read and Follow the manufacturer's instructions on mounting, operating and testing your smoke alarms which come with the device at the time of purchase.
- Replace batteries with the type recommended by the smoke alarm manufacturer. The correct battery type is marked inside the smoke alarm.
Fire safety in the home does not end with smoke alarms.
Smoke alarms are a necessary part of fire safety planning.
MAKE IT STOP!
THE PROBLEM OF NUISANCE SMOKE ALARMS
Have you ever had your smoke alarm go off while you were cooking? You are not alone. Smoke alarm activation due to cooking activities or even steam from the shower is a common occurrence. In the fire service, we call this a nuisance alarm. Regrettably, some people deal with the problem by removing batteries or by disconnecting the power source, thereby disabling the smoke alarm. This is not only dangerous, but it is against the law!
For more information on dealing effectively with nuisance alarms, please visit www.makeitstop.ca
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