Fire Prevention

Fire prevention is an important part of what we do at the Brock Township Fire Department. You may see our team at school, daycare, seniors’ clubs, and events like the annual fairs. We strive to teach our community ways to protect themselves and their loved ones from fire through various prevention and public education programs and initiatives.

Learn how to protect your family from a fire through emergency planning and by taking part in one of our prevention programs and initiatives.

Presentation and Event Requests

Are you looking to have Brock Township Fire Department (BTFD) visit your school, community group, or public event to provide fire safety education? BTFD is happy to participate!

Please submit your request (1) month in advance. Late requests are accepted but may not be accommodated due to scheduling demands.

Education and Event Request

If your request includes the use of a firetruck, please note that the truck must always remain in-service to respond to emergencies. For this reason, it is not possible to guarantee our attendance or timing, although every effort is made to appear.

Upcoming Events

March 11 at 9:45am - March Break Camp Fire Safety Lesson (Beaverton)

Kids participating in the March Break Camp will have the opportunity to learn about firefighters and staying fire safe. The session includes a blend of in-class learning and a tour of a fire truck.

Contact the Brock Recreation Department for registration.
*Must be registered for the camp - cannot register for this session only*

March 11 at 1:00pm - Fire Safety Lesson (Sunderland)

Sunderland Public School students will have the opportunity to learn about fire safety and tour a fire truck over March Break.

*Must be a student of the school - not open to the public*

March 12 at 10:15am - Firefighter Storytime (Cannington)

To kick off the new Fire Safety Reading Program, we’ll be hosting Firefighter Storytime at each Brock Library branch! Join us for a fun-filled event with a firefighter reading a story, a chance to explore a firetruck, and important fire safety tips for kids!

March 12 at 3:15pm - Firefighter Storytime (Sunderland)

March 13 at 10:30am - Kitchen Safety with TNDF (Cannington)

In collaboration with The Nourish and Develop Foundation, kids participating in the March Break Camp will have an exciting opportunity to learn about kitchen safety tips! The session includes a blend of in-class learning, hands-on fun, and a fire station tour to top it all off!

Contact TNDF for registration.
*Must be registered for the camp - cannot register for this session only*

March 14 at 10:15am - Firefighter Storytime (Beaverton)

April 5-6 - Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival

The Fire Prevention Booth will be back at the Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival! Working teens and adults will have the chance to try using a real fire extinguisher and learn important fire safety tips.

Fire Education Programs

If you are a school or community group looking to develop a fire safety program in partnership with the Brock Township Fire Department, please contact Fire Prevention.

Current Programs

Fire Safety Reading Program (March 10 - June 30)

A Reading Program for Kids of all Ages!

This program is designed to inspire young readers while sparking their curiosity about fire safety and how it relates to their everyday lives. It’s perfect for young readers of all ages, with activities tailored to two different reading levels. Choose the program that best suits your child:

Junior Fire Safety (Reading level: Age 5+)

Fire Safety Smart Choices for Life (Reading level: Age 8+)

How to Participate:

Pick up a Bingo Card and Workbook from your local library.
Complete each task and mark off the corresponding bingo square.
Once you fill a row, bring your card back to the library to claim a prize from the treasure chest!
When you fill your entire Bingo card, return to the library to choose a prize and enter a ballot for the grand prize draw. This year’s grand prize is a Junior Firefighter experience where the winner will visit their local fire station and enjoy exciting activities with Brock Township firefighters!

BONUS: Earn an extra ballot for the grand prize draw for every square completed in the bonus section.

Alarm Assistance Program (On-going)

Only working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms save lives! Most fatal fires occur at night when

people are sleeping. Working alarms will detect smoke or carbon monoxide and sound to alert you.
Your alarms require maintenance. Push the “test” button monthly, change the batteries when you change your clocks, and replace the entire unit by the expiration date or if it no longer functions.

Need help testing your alarm, changing batteries, or installing a new unit? Brock Township Fire
Department offers an alarm assistance program for those who are unable to do so on their own. This program runs on a honour system and there is no charge for this service.

Request Assistance

Alarmed for Life (Spring, Summer, and Fall months)

Alarmed for Life is a program aimed to keep our community safe by ensuring all homes have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Firefighters will go door-to-door to provide voluntary home inspections, free of charge. For homes found without adequate protection, Firefighters will install temporary alarms and provide guidance to the resident on selecting and purchasing the correct alarms for their home.

The program will be delivered in various locations throughout the Township of Brock. Residents who would like to request an appointment or have questions about smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are directed to contact Fire Prevention.

Fire Prevention information

There are many ways you can improve fire safety in your life. The following list includes recommendations based on statistics and data.

Fire Prevention Week

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Fire safety in your apartment

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:

If there is a fire in your unit

If there is a fire in your suite, it is not safe to stay inside! Stay away from poisonous smoke!

- 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

When you hear the fire alarm

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.

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

If smoke enters your unit, protect yourself

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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