Phone 9-1-1.
Use your cellphone if you can.
Give them your location.
Leave the house immediately.
If you need to give 911 more information, call them back from another location.
Do not go back inside. First responders will be there within minutes.
What is the most dangerous room in your home? The kitchen! Specifically, a grease fire in your kitchen.
If you have a grease fire in the kitchen, cover it with a lid, and try baking soda on a smaller grease fire, or use your kitchen fire extinguisher. If you can't control it immediately, call 9-1-1 and vacate the premises.
Remember: extinguishers should only be used by adults; for babysitters and children the priority is to get out of the house safely.
The best protection from fire and smoke is prevention. Keep your family safe through preparation and good planning, and make our job that much easier. The following are some good tips to secure your home.
The NFPA website is loaded with learning resources for fire prevention, from home escape planning to resources for children.
The Canada Safety Council has a myriad of resources about fire prevention, and many other safety issues such as traffic safety and children
Smoke Detector Maintenance
One of the best things you can do is ensure you have adequate smoke detectors, and that they are maintained.
- Make sure you have one detector on each floor, and ideally one in each bedroom.
- Test each detector once a month. Push the test button to verify the power source and the alarm's ability to sound. Then test its ability to detect smoke by blowing out a candle, burning incense, or using smoke in a can.
- Clean each detector every six months. To clean a smoke detector, simply pop open the cover and vacuum the insides. The detector may go off during this time.
- Replace the battery at least once a year, but every 6 months is best. If you do it when the time changes it is easy to remember.
- If you can, hard wire them into the home electricity supply, with a back-up battery.
Refer to your owners manual for other suggestions. These steps are suggested as a minimum. Some people test them weekly or when they return from a trip. They can easily be maintained and may make all the difference for you and your family.
Emergency Fire Plan
Make sure you have outlined to everyone in the household what the emergency plan is. Discuss it, and practice it.
- Draw a floor plan of your house.
- Mark two ways out of each room.
- Establish a meeting place outside the house.
- Be sure each family member has the plan and knows the escape route.
- Post your fire escape plan on the fridge or family bulletin board.
- Hold a fire drill for your family once or twice a year. Vary the drills, to practice escaping from different fire sources.
The Canada Safety Council has more information about home safety planning
Fire Extinguishers
Remember: extinguishers should only be used by adults; for babysitters and children the priority is to get out of the house safely.
- Ensure each extinguisher is inspected monthly and serviced yearly
- Have an extinguisher in the kitchen, and on each floor
- The best all around household extinguisher works on class ABC fires
