Practice These Fire Safety Tips to Stay Safe     

RICHMOND HILL – People often think a fire can’t happen to them until it’s too late. Last year, Ontario saw 133 fire-related deaths, the province’s highest number in decades. Avoid becoming a statistic by following these fire safety and prevention tips. It could help save your life and the lives of those around you. 

Prevention
Everyone has a responsibility to protect their family and home from fire. Prevention is always the best course of action. 

• Never leave the kitchen while cooking. Unattended cooking is a leading cause of home fires. If a fire occurs on a stovetop pan or pot, safely slide a lid or baking tray over the fire to smother it.
• Charge electronic devices on non-combustible surfaces rather than soft surfaces such as beds or under bed sheets.
• Candles should ideally be battery operated. When using traditional candles, make sure only an adult lights it. The candle should be in a container that doesn’t tip easily; once lit, keep it away from anything that can burn and remember to blow them out before leaving the room.

Detection
Only working smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms can give you early notification and the time you and your family need to safely escape a fire.

• Smoke alarms must be located on every floor of a home, and have both smoke and CO alarms in close proximity to all sleeping areas in the home.
• Test these devices monthly and replace by the date shown on the side or back of the alarm (8-10 years for smoke alarms, 7-10 years for CO alarms). If you have a fire emergency in your home, a working alarm will give you the time your family and pets need to get out safely.
• Make sure all members of your household know the sound of smoke and CO alarms.

Escape
Fire and smoke move faster than you, so there’s no time to figure out how to escape your home AFTER a fire starts. Practice a home fire escape plan BEFORE there’s a fire so you can get out safely.

• Choose a predetermined meeting place outside in front of your home and educate all family members that once they are outside, they never go back inside for anything.
• Practice your plan twice a year by doing home fire drills. Practice by sounding a smoke alarm with your pets nearby and gathering household members who may need assistance to evacuate.
• In the event of a fire emergency in an apartment/condo building, remember to sound the building’s fire alarm system to alert other occupants and call 911.
• If unable to evacuate your home, gather your family in a room with a large window, close and seal the door behind you, call 911 and provide your address and location.

Practice fire safety regularly and protect what matters most! Learn more about fire prevention at RichmondHill.ca/FirePrevention.