Fire Prevention Program

Prepare for a Fire Emergency

Practise your Home Escape Plan!

The best way to protect everyone in your home from death or injury in a fire is to know what to do when you hear the sound of your smoke alarms.

Plan your Escape

Sit down with everyone in your home and talk about the best ways to get out quickly in the event of a fire.

  • Draw a floor plan of your home that shows two ways to get out of each room.
  • Post the plan on your refrigerator or where everyone can see it.
  • Agree on a meeting place outside the home - away from the building - where everyone can gather after escaping a fire. That way you can count heads and make sure that everyone is safe.

Practise your Escape

Most fatal home fires happen at night, so send everyone to his or her sleeping area and sound the smoke alarm.

  • Close off some exits and pretend that they are blocked by smoke or flame.
  • Make sure that everyone leaves the home and gathers at your meeting place.
  • Practise your plan by staging a home fire drill every six months.

Be Prepared

  • Make sure that everyone in your home (including visitors) can hear and recognize the sound of your smoke alarms.
  • Make sure that everyone in your home knows to call 9-1-1 in the case of a fire.
  • If windows or doors have security bars, make sure that the bars have quick-release devices inside.
  • Make sure that the street number for your home is clearly visible from the road.
  • If there are infants, older adults, or individuals with specific needs in your home, make sure that someone is assigned to assist them in the fire drill and in the event of an emergency.
  • Keep stairways and exits clear and free from clutter.

Remember - Never, ever, re-enter a burning building.