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Fire Safety Tips for Winter
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Ontario's Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management offers simple tips to enjoy a fire-safe season. With temperatures dropping ensure that festivities are both happy and safe by making fire safety a priority.
- Stay in the kitchen when cooking. If you must leave, turn off the stove.
- Blow out candles before leaving the room.
- If you're putting up a fresh Christmas tree, keep the base of the trunk in water at all times.
- Inspect and throw away old and damaged lights before decorating.
- Keep space heaters away from anything that can burn, including curtains and furniture.
- Install and test smoke alarms on every floor and outside all sleeping areas of your home.
- Don't forget about carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. In Ontario, you must have a working CO alarm adjacent to each sleeping area of the home if you have a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage.
- Make sure everyone knows two ways to get out of your home. Plan and practice a home fire escape plan with family members and holiday guests.
- Designate a street light or mailbox outside as the meeting place where everyone can be accounted for. Never re-enter a burning building.
You can learn more about the risks of carbon monoxide from the provincial website and fire safety on Settlement.Org.