Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services (MFES) is urging residents to learn quick tips on how to keep their families safe as part of the National Fire Prevention Week from October 8 to 14.
Simple actions including replacing alarms every 10 years, changing alarm batteries, preparing and practising a home escape plan can save lives. This year’s theme of Fire Prevention Week is “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!”
“It’s not an option. For survival, residents must prepare and practise a home escape plan with everyone that lives in their home,” said Tim Beckett, Fire Chief, MFES. “Keeping your family safe takes very little work so it’s surprising that more families aren’t making fire safety a priority.”
“Ensure all smoke alarms in the home work and identify all possible exits. Teach children to escape on their own if they can and join them at a pre-determined, safe meeting place outside the house. Never go back inside a burning house,” added Beckett.
What You Need to Know:
- Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds.
- A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire.
- Home fire sprinklers can control and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive on scene.
- Portable fire extinguishers can be used in the following instances when the fire is:
- confined to a small area;
- not growing; and
- the room is not filled with smoke.
- Smoke alarms and alert devices such as strobe lights, pillow or bed shakers can help those who are hearing impaired escape from a fire.
To support Fire Prevention Week, MFES will be at various locations throughout the city to talk to residents about what they can do to keep their homes and families safe. A full schedule of fire prevention activities in Mississauga can be found here.