Q1
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What are some of the key factors contributing to residential
fire deaths in Ontario?
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| A1
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- Careless cooking
- Careless smoking
- Cooking or smoking while under the influence of
alcohol
- No smoke alarms or smoke alarms with missing or
dead batteries
- Lack of a home fire escape plan to provide
direction for all members of the household including helping those who
require assistance
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Q2
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What can I do to protect my family from fire?
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A2
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- Install and maintain smoke alarms on every storey
and outside all sleeping areas. For added protection, install smoke alarms
inside all bedrooms.
- Stay in the kitchen and keep a close eye on your
cooking.
- Keep a pot lid close to the stove while cooking. If
a fire starts in a pot cooking on the stove, put on an oven mit and slide
the lid over the pot. Then turn off the stovetop burner.
- Wear tight-fitting clothing or short sleeves when
using the stove so clothing cannot drag over hot burners and ignite.
- Keep combustibles such as paper towels a safe
distance from the stove.
- Encourage smokers to smoke outside.
- Use large, deep, stable ashtrays and make sure
cigarettes are properly extinguished.
- Never smoke in bed or when sleepy or under the
influence of drugs or alcohol.
- Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of
children.
- Develop a home fire escape plan and practise it
with everyone in the household.
- Keep all exits unobstructed.
- Determine who will be responsible for helping young
children, older adults, or anyone requiring assistance escape if a fire
occurs.
- Determine a meeting place away from the house where
everyone can be accounted for.
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Q3
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I live in a high-rise condominium building. Does the law
require that I evacuate the building when the fire alarm system sounds?
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A3
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- You should be familiar with the emergency
procedures in the Fire Safety Plan for your building.
- It is always best to evacuate if it can be done
safely.
- If you cant evacuate, you should know how to
protect yourself from smoke. Be sure to notify the fire department of your
location. Use duct tape to seal cracks around the door and place wet
towels at the bottom. Seal vents or air ducts the same way. If smoke
enters your apartment, move to the balcony and close the doors behind you.
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| Q4 |
Does a tenant in a residential building have any
responsibilities for fire safety?
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A4
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- Tenants have a responsibility to not do anything
that would put themselves or others in the building at risk of fire.
- Tenants must not tamper with the smoke alarms in
their unit and should notify the landlord or building superintendent if
there are any problems or concerns with the smoke alarms.
- Tenants in apartment buildings and condominiums
should be familiar with the Fire Safety Plan for the building.
- Tenants should not prop open fire doors in hallways
or stairwells.
- Tenants should notify the landlord or
superintendent if they notice fire safety hazards or concerns (e.g. doors
wedged open, obstructions in hallways or stairways).
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Q5
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How do sprinklers work?
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| A5
|
- Individual sprinkler heads are activated by heat.
- When the temperature reaches a pre-determined
point, the sprinkler head will activate and provide a spray of water in an
umbrella type pattern over the fire area.
- Activated sprinkler heads will control or possibly
extinguish a fire, which not only keeps the fire from growing, but keeps
smoke and toxic gases from accumulating, thus providing additional time to
evacuate.
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Q6
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What are common misconceptions regarding sprinkler systems?
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A6
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Myth:
|
If one sprinkler goes off, they all
will.
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| |
Fact: |
Only the sprinkler head(s) in the
immediate vicinity of the fire will activate.Usually only one sprinkler is
activated to extinguish the fire
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Myth:
|
They cause water damage.
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| |
Fact:
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One sprinkler head discharges less water
in 10 minutes than a fire hose discharges in one minute.
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| |
Myth:
|
Sprinkler system pipes will freeze in
cold weather.
|
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Fact: |
Pipes are installed in such a way as to
eliminate their exposure to freezing temperatures the same as other pipes
in your home.
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Myth:
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Sprinkler systems are ugly.
|
| |
Fact:
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Sprinkler heads can be mounted in the
ceiling with caps that are flush with the surface.Ceiling and sidewall mount
sprinkler heads can blend into room dcor.
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Myth:
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Sprinklers might go off by accident.
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Fact: |
The odds of an accidental discharge due
to a manufacturing defect are 1 in 16 million.
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| |
Myth:
|
Sprinkler systems are expensive.
|
| |
Fact:
|
Sprinkler systems cost 1 to 1.5% of the
cost to build a new home, the cost of many home upgrades. For a $300,000
home amortized over 25 years, this is equivalent to less than $1/day.
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| |
Myth:
|
Smoke alarms provide enough protection
from fire.
|
| |
Fact:
|
Properly working smoke alarms will notify
you of a fire, but smoke alarms cannot extinguish a growing fire. Young
children, older adults and people with disabilities are at higher risk of
being injured or killed in a fire because they may be unable to react
quickly. Sprinklers control or extinguish fires, providing occupants more
time to safely escape.
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Q7
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How will residential fire sprinklers improve
life safety?
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A7
|
- Sprinklers can improve life safety by controlling
or extinguishing fires and by limiting the spread of smoke and toxic
gases. This provides occupants more time to safely evacuate.
- Sprinklers can help provide precious time to assist
high-risk people who are unable to react to smoke alarms or require
assistance to evacuate.
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| Q8 |
What measures will be in place to protect my
furnishings and other personal possessions from being damaged by water from
the fire sprinklers?
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| A8
|
- As typically only one sprinkler activates, water
damage to furnishings and personal possessions is limited and is much less
than the potential water damage from water discharged from fire hoses.
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Q9
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What are some common fire safety challenges
faced by the fire service.
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| A9
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- Failure by homeowners / landlords to install, test,
and maintain working smoke alarms on every storey and outside all sleeping
areas.
- Failure by the general public to develop and
practise home fire escape plans.
- Educating the general public that routine
activities such as cooking and smoking are potentially dangerous and can
have devastating consequences through carelessness or inattentiveness.
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Q10
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What is the Office of the Fire Marshal doing to
educate the public about fire safety?
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A10
|
- The OFM develops public education programs
focussing on common fire safety hazards. Fire departments can use these
programs in their communities.
- The OFM develops public service announcements
(print/television/radio) on common fire safety hazards. These are
distributed to the provincial media and are provided to fire departments
for use by local media in their communities.
- The OFM trains and educates fire departments about
how to design, develop and implement effective public fire safety
education programs and initiatives.
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Q11
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Where can I find additional public fire safety
information?
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| A11
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