Gravenhurst Volunteer Fire Department

Your Muskoka Fire Safety Resource

Surviving a Fire In Your Home

Here are a few important steps to help you survive a fire in your home.

It's 3 a.m. and your smoke alarm sounds. What should you do?

Don't waste valuable time getting dressed. Before leaving your room, feel the door for heat. If the door is hot, don't open it. Leave by your alternate exit. If you can't leave the room, take precautions to prevent smoke from entering the room. Place a towel or other materials at the base of all doors. Seal other openings, such as air registers as well. Then go to a window and call for help.

If the door is cool to the touch, open it carefully and be prepared to close it again if you encounter smoke. At this point you should institute your fire escape plan. If you can leave, but encounter some smoke, stay low and crawl on your hands and knees to the nearest exit. Remember, smoke and toxic gases rise. It is easier to see and breathe if you are close to the floor.

Once you are out, go directly to your meeting place and then call the fire department from a neighbor's house. Never re-enter a burning building.

Smoke Alarms, It's The Law

Under the Ontario Fire Code, every home in Ontario is required to have working smoke alarms, on every level.

Homeowners must ensure that smoke alarms are installed between sleeping and living areas. They are also required to maintain the smoke alarms in working order.

In rental accommodation, the obligation to install and maintain smoke alarms in operating condition falls to the landlord. Landlords must also provide smoke alarm maintenance information to the occupant of each unit.

It is an offence for any person to disable a smoke alarm. This requirement applies equally to homeowners, landlords and tenants.

Failure to comply with the smoke alarm requirements of the Fire Code can result in a $235 fine.

Kitchen Fire Safety

Cooking incidents are a major cause of home fires, so you must be aware of all the hazards that lurk around the stove.

  • Never leave a stove unattended when you are cooking.
  • Prevent grease from building up in the stove or the exhaust hood and keep combustibles away from the stove.
  • Never move a burning pot. The best way to extinguish a fire in a pot or frying pan is to put a lid on it and turn off the heat. This will smother the fire. Always keep pot lids nearby.
  • Don't store food above the stove. Reaching over the stove can be dangerous,. especially for young children.
  • When cooking, always turn pot handles inward to prevent accidents. Little helpers could be badly burned. Keep children away from the stove when you are cooking.
  • Don't wear loose fitting clothing while cooking and never reach over a hot stove. Your clothing could catch fire!
  • Prevent serious scalds and burns by keeping electrical cords from kettles and other appliances out of children's reach.
  • Have a fire extinguisher nearby, but store it away from the stove so you can be able to reach it in an emergency.
Older & Wiser

A Fire Safety Program For Older Adults

When it comes to fire safety, older adults need our help more than any other age group in our community. Statistics show us that adults over the age of 65 are at the greatest risk of dying in a fire. And although many older adults continue to live independent, productive lives, the natural aging process can make them particularly vulnerable to fire. And unlike school-age children, who can be reached through the school sysem, seniors are more difficult to reach with an effective education program. Using the Older & Wiser Resource Kit, Gravenhurst Firefighters present lessons in home fire safety to groups of seniors in a variety of ways. We have also partnered with community groups, home support workers and others who interact with seniors to help get the fire safety message out to this most vulneralbe group of residents. Common fire risks for older adults include careless smoking, careless cooking and improper placement of space heaters.

"Older and Wiser" is designed to assist the fire service, community groups, home support workers, families, friends and the media in educating older adults about fire safety.

The mission statement of the Older & Wiser Program is to promote the significant roles that seniors play in our society and to recognize the contributions that seniors make to our Province.

The primary objective is to enhance older persons in five key areas of concern:

Independence: Give support to enable seniors to remain at home as long as possible.

Participation: Allow seniors to maintain an active role in decision making and communication within the community.

Care: To ensure that seniors receive enhanced personal care, whether it be at home or a treatment facility.

Self-fulfilment: To allow seniors the opportunity to learn and grow in all areas.

Dignity: To ensure that seniors receive the utmost respect and dignity that they deserve.

 

What Do You Do Next?

Perform the Older & Wiser Fire Safety Check for Family and Friends of Older Adults

 

Visitor Count Since April 5, 2009

Content View Hits : 78022

Who's Online

We have 2 guests online