Apartment and Condominium Fire Safety

When a fire breaks out in your building you need to decide if you should stay or leave. You must act quickly and protect yourself from smoke. The best thing to do in a fire is to leave the building but sometimes you might have to stay in your unit.

What should I do when there's a fire?

When there's a fire in your building, follow these steps to make sure you, your family and your neighbours stay safe:

• Tell everyone in your unit to leave
• Close all doors behind you
• Pull the fire alarm and yell "fire"
• Leave the building using the closest stairway and always go down, never up
• Call 9-1-1 when you are safe
• Meet the firefighters at the front entrance and tell them where the fire is

Should I leave the building?

When smoke is entering your unit from around the door, do not open it. When there is no smoke, brace yourself, open the door a little bit and follow these steps:

• Close the door quickly and protect yourself if you see smoke or feel heat
• Take your keys, lock your door and go to the nearest stairway if the hallway is clear of smoke or heat
• Do not use the elevator
• Open the nearest stairway door carefully
• Use the stairway to leave the building if there is no smoke, always go down and never up
• Do not enter the stairway if you see smoke, close the door and go to another stairway
• Leave the stairway as soon as possible if you come across any smoke on your way down the stairs
• Remember that at least every five floors the doors will be unlocked so don't panic if other doors are locked or blocked
• Go back to your unit and protect yourself from smoke if there are no other stairways or go into the hallway and bang on other unit doors until you find a place to take shelter
• Never go to the roof
• Crawl low if you come across any smoke

What do I do if I stay in my unit?

Protect yourself from smoke if you can't exit your unit safely. Remember that the longer you wait, the more likely there will be heavy smoke in hallways and stairways so don't try to leave after the alarm has been sounding for a long time. Follow these steps when you stay in your unit during a fire:

• Stay in your unit until you are rescued or told to leave
• Keep smoke from entering your unit by using duct tape to seal cracks around your door
• Place wet towels at the bottom of your door
• Seal vents and air ducts
• Call 9-1-1 and tell them where you are
• Move to the balcony and close the doors behind you if smoke starts coming into your unit
• Go to the most smoke-free room if you don't have a balcony, close the door, seal it with tape and towels and open the windows
• Hang a sheet or towel from the window or balcony to show your rescuers where you are
• Keep low to the floor
• Listen for instructions from authorities

Call Richmond Hill's Fire Prevention Division at 905-883-5444 for more information.

View the High-rise Fire Safety printable fact sheet. 

Learn more about fire prevention.