Wildfire season is slowing down, but house fires happen all year round, and are one of those things you don’t think will happen to you until it does. By then, it’s often too late.
Quesnel’s Fire Inspector and Prevention Officer, Kirby Booker, has some tips on how you can keep your home and property FireSmart.
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: You should have at least one smoke and carbon monoxide detector on every level of your house, although it’s better to have more. Check monthly to make sure that the devices are working by pressing the button on the alarms. If they beep, they’re working. Battery-operated detectors should have the batteries replaced yearly. A good rule of thumb is to change the batteries when you change the clocks for Daylight Saving Time in the spring, or change them back in the fall.
Booker notes that there are two different kinds of smoke detectors: photoelectric and ionization. Some are less prone to picking up steam if, for example, they’re near a bathroom or kitchen. Ask in-store when purchasing your smoke alarm, or read the directions on the device for the best placement in the home.
Escape plan: Practise your family escape plan, ideally twice a year (summer and winter), and have a pre-arranged meeting place at a safe distance from the house that everyone in the household knows.
Make the exercise fun for kids: you can draw a map of your house and highlight the exits, and have kids practise popping the screen off windows and exiting with a rope ladder, especially from a second- or third-floor home. Rope ladders are inexpensive and can be purchased at stores like Canadian Tire. They can move with you and can easily be stored under a bed.
If a fire occurs, everyone should know to meet at the designated muster location and not go back into the home for pets or anyone else. Call 9-1-1 and tell them if anyone is missing.
Fire extinguishers: Like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers should be on every level of the home, in the garage, and in any shop or outbuilding. The more you have, especially near kitchens, furnaces, wood-burning stoves, driers, or other ignition sources, the better.
Make sure you know how to use your fire extinguisher. Directions will be on the device. If you’re still unsure, stop by your local fire department for a demonstration. Remember the acronym PASS: Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the lever, and Sweep side to side.
Booker reminds people that while fire extinguishers may not entirely fight a fire, they can suppress one for long enough to give you time to make a safe exit.
Cooking fires: Unattended cooking is the leading cause of house fires, and accounts for the most injuries or fatalities in North America. Practise kitchen safety: don’t leave your cooking unattended, have your smoke detectors working, and keep working surfaces clear of combustibles (for example, a dish towel left on na counter near the stove could ignite). Keep handles turned toward the back of the stove, so that they cannot accidentally be knocked off.
Nfpa.org has excellent resources for kitchen safety.
Electrical outlets: Don’t overload your electrical outlets. A power bar into an extension cord into another power bar has the potential to overheat. This includes in places like garages, basements, sheds, or even chicken coops (think heat lamps for pets).
Ensure your extension cords’ rating matches the total amps and watts. Electrical cords and power bars should be approved by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Devices not CSA-approved may not be made well and could be prone to overheating. If extension cords show any signs of fraying, they should be discarded immediately.
Batteries: “Using unapproved/off-brand batteries and chargers is dangerous,” said Booker, who has noted an increase in rechargeable battery fires for devices like e-bikes and scooters. “We recommend only using the battery, charger, and charge cord designed for the device and only using devices/equipment that have a label from a qualified testing lab like the Canadian Standards Association.”
It’s also important not to overcharge your batteries (unplug them when recharged) or heat them (keep them out of the sun and out of hot vehicles).
Additional sources of heat: Other heat sources, such as wood stoves and chimneys, should be well-maintained. Have your chimney cleaned and the furnace inspected annually. A screen on your fireplace or wood stove is also a great safety precaution to avoid house fires.
Storage: Combustibles should not be stored in the basement or near a furnace, hot water tank, or anything else that could ignite. Keep storage areas clean and free of dust, sawdust, wood shavings, dry leaves, and other items that can act as fuel.
Barbecues: Propane cylinders should never be stored indoors, and propane should also not be stored in your barbecue. Pull your barbecue away from the house while it’s in use, as the siding or overhang of a home can catch fire.
Smoking: Never smoke in bed, and dispose of cigarette butts in the proper receptacle. Do not dispose of them in planters.
Outdoors: Firesmartbc.ca is a great resource for making your property more fire-resilient, with steps to gradually make your home and property safer. Doing everything at once can be costly and overwhelming, so focus on small steps, and on firesmarting items that need immediate repair or replacement.
Firewood piles should be at least 10 metres from the home, if not 30. Keep dead vegetation away from your house, especially within the first 10 feet, and clear your gutter and roof.
Coniferous trees are highly flammable. Pruning the lower limbs up to two metres, or three metres on a steep slope, makes the trees more fire resilient, slowing the spread of fire if it approaches your property.
External vents should have a screen placed over them, which will stop embers from entering the home.
Local FireSmart representative: Local FireSmart Representatives (LFRs) are volunteers who work in the community and can assess your property for free, giving you recommendations on where to start. You can search for an LFR on the FireSmart BC website.
