| Fire Prevention Week |
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Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country. During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults, and teachers learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires.
Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage. This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.
Visit our webpage for events happening within the Township of Brock.
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| Cooking Safely |
- Keep your cooking space clean and free of anything that can burn;
- Don't store anything on the back of your stove;
- Reaching over hot burners and pots can cause burns;
- Roll up your sleeves or wear a short sleeved shirt;
- Keep pot lids close to the stove while you cook;
- If there is a small fire you can slide lid onto the pot or pan and turn off burners to put it out.
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| Heating your home safely |
- Keep anything that can burn at least one metre away from furnaces, baseboard heaters, woodstoves and fireplaces;
- Make sure you have working carbon monoxide alarms outside sleeping areas in your home;
- Get regular maintenance on your heating equipment from a qualified professional;
- Turn off portable heaters every time you leave the room and when you go to bed;
- Put ashes into a metal bucked far from combustible materials to cool down;
- It can take three days for ashes to cool completely;
- Maintain chimneys to make sure there are no blockages.
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| Home escape planning |
- Draw a floor plan of your home
- Mark all windows and doors
- Plan two ways out of every room, the primary escape should be the door and the secondary could be an alternate door or a window
- Make sure all windows and doors can be opened easily
- In a two-storey building, plan your escape through a window onto a roof or porch
- If you must use an escape ladder, be sure everyone knows how to use it. Children should practice with an adult
- Choose a meeting place for family members outside and mark it on the floor plan, a good meeting place would be a tree, a telephone pole or a neighbours house
- Make sure everyone understands the planned escape routes
- Practice your escape plan at least twice a year with everybody in your home
- Remember to practice with visitors and guests too
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| Using candles safely |
- Always stay in the room when candles are burning, put out the flame every time you leave the room or go to bed;
- In a power outage use battery powered lanterns or battery powered candles to reduce the risk of fire;
- Keep candles away from anything that can burn such as furniture or curtains;
- Keep candles away from pets;
- Keep candles in sturdy candle holders that won't tip or burn.
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| Clearing fire hydrants |
- Keep fire hydrants visible and accessible;
- Keep grass and vegetation away from fire hydrants;
- In winter make sure there is one metre of clear space around fire hydrants and clear paths to reach fire hydrants.
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| Seasonal tips |
- Make sure cottages, boats with sleeping areas, trailers and recreational vehicles have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms;
- Follow the township fire works by-law and all manufacturer's directions when you use fireworks;
- Keep your barbecue clean and inspect hoses and burners, make any needed repairs and have it inspected by a licensed gas professional;
- Follow the burn by-law regulations when you have a fire.
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| Fire safety in your apartment |
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| Fire Safety Begins with You |
- Talk to your landlord, superintendent or building manager
- Know the emergency procedures outlined in the building’s fire safety plan
- Create a home escape plan and practice it with everyone in your home
- Every fire is different. You must act quickly when you hear the alarm or discover a fire
- Remember, most people die from the smoke, not the fire. Here is what to do:
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| If there is a fire in your unit |
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If there is a fire in your suite, it is not safe to stay inside! Stay away from poisonous smoke!
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- Everyone evacuate immediately
- Close, but don’t lock, all doors behind you
- Pull the red fire alarm pull station next to the stairwell on your floor and yell “fire”
- Leave the building using the nearest exit stairway
- Do not use the elevator
- Never go to the roof, smoke rises! Doors to the roof are locked and you could become trapped
- Call the fire department at 9-1-1 from a safe location outside. (Never assume this has been done)
- Meet the firefighters when they arrive and tell them where the fire is
- Once out, stay out
- Do not go back into the building until the fire department tells you it’s safe
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| When you hear the fire alarm |
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To go or to stay?
Most of the time the best thing to do in a fire is leave the building as soon as possible. But in some cases you may not be able to leave and you may have to stay in your apartment. In either case you must act quickly. No matter what you decide, you must protect yourself from smoke.
Leaving the building:
- Check the door to your apartment, if it is hot or smoke is entering from around the door, do not open it. Stay in your unit and protect yourself from smoke
- If the door is cool and there is no smoke, brace yourself and open the door a little
- If you see smoke or feel heat, close the door quickly and protect yourself
- If the corridor is clear, exit your unit and go to the nearest stairway
- Do not use the elevator
- Open the nearest stairway door carefully
- If there is no smoke, use the stairway to leave the building
- If there is smoke, do not enter. Close the door and go to another stairway and open the door carefully
- If there is no smoke here use this stairway to leave the building
- If there is smoke, do not use this stairway. Ff there are other stairways try them. If there are not, return to your unit and protect yourself from smoke
If you remain in your apartment:
You must protect yourself from smoke. Stay in your apartment until you are rescued or told to leave. This may take a long time. Do not try and leave your apartment a long time after the alarm has sounded. The longer you wait, the more risk there is that heavy smoke will have spread into stairways and corridors. Your chances of survival are less. Keep smoke from entering your unit use duct tape to seal cracks around the door and place towels at the bottom. Seal vents or air ducts the same way.
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| When you are inside the stairway |
- If you find smoke on your way down the stairs, leave that stairway as soon as you can
- Use another stairway if it is clear of smoke
- if you can't use another stairway, return to your apartment if you can, or go to any corridor and bang on apartment doors until you find a place to take shelter
- Never go to the roof. Smoke rises to the top of the stairway. Doors opening onto the roof are locked and you could be trapped
- Remember, wherever you are, if there is smoke get low and go under the smoke to safety. The air is cleaner near the floor
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| If smoke enters your unit, protect yourself |
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If smoke starts to enter your suite (and you are unable to evacuate):
- Call the fire department at 9-1-1 and tell them where you are and then move to the balcony. Close the doors behind you.
- If you don’t have a balcony, go to the most smoke-free room, close the door and seal it with wide tape and towels. If necessary, open the window for fresh air. Show emergency personnel where you are by hanging a sheet from the window or balcony.
- Keep low to the floor where the air is cleaner.
- Listen for instructions from authorities
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