Fire Safety and Prevention

Fire prevention and public education

Fire prevention and public education save lives. The Southwold Fire Department conducts public education in schools and community groups. They also work with residents and commercial property owners to conduct fire inspections.

For kid friendly resources on fire safety and prevention, you can learn with Sparky, the Fire Dog.

Contact our Fire Prevention Officer to book a public education session.

Learn how the Office of the Fire Marshall plays a role in our public safety.

Fire prevention tips

Be sure your alarms work

Test your alarms once a month
Replace the batteries at least once a year
Never “borrow” alarm batteries from another device
Replace alarms based on manufacturers recommendations, which is typically 10 years or less

Only working smoke alarms save lives

Smoke alarms are inexpensive, and they save lives. Install one on every floor of your home. This includes the basement, outside each sleeping area, and inside each sleeping area – if you sleep with the doors closed. Make sure that everyone in your household can hear the alarm when they are sleeping. The majority of fatal home fires happen at night.

Know the sound of your smoke alarm

Newer smoke alarms sound a distinct alarm pattern – groups of three beeps separated by a pause: beep-beep-beep … pause … beep-beep-beep … pause … beep-beep-beep. Older alarms sound a continuous tone.

Be sure that everyone in your home recognizes the sound of your alarms and awakens to the sound of them when sleeping.

When the alarm sounds

Do not hesitate, leave immediately
If an escape route is blocked by smoke or fire, use an alternative route
Go directly to your meeting place
Gather away from the building out of the way of firefighters
Call the Fire Department from a neighbour's phone or mobile phone, after you have escaped
Report anyone trapped inside to the Fire Department
Do not go back inside for any reason until the firefighters say that it is safe

Choose a meeting place, and practice it

Decide on a meeting place outside of your home, where everyone will gather once you have escaped. Hold home fire drills at least two times per year. Pretend some exits are blocked to make drills realistic. Practice your escape in the dark. When the smoke alarm sounds, there is no time to waste. Smoke and heat create confusion. Everyone in your home must know what to do.

Escape tips

Close doors behind you as you escape, to slow the spread of fire and smoke. If you have to escape through smoke, crawl low in your hands and knees, keeping your head one to two feet above the floor, where the air will be the cleanest.
Test doors, doorknobs, and spaces around the door with the back of your hand. If the door is warm, try another escape route. If it is cool, open slowly. Slam it shut if smoke enters through the door.
Draw a home escape plan of your home showing two escape routes – including windows – from each room. Discuss the escape plan with everyone in your household.

Get out! Stay out!

You can survive a fire in your home if you leave quickly and don't go back inside until firefighters say it is safe.

“Get out and stay out!” is a simple strategy that can save your life. But to protect yourself and household, you must have an escape plan and practice it.

Tips for Safe Heating

Annually check and clean your furnace, fireplace or woodstove to prevent fires and deadly carbon monoxide gas in your home. Learn how to protect yourself from carbon monoxide.

Be sure to contact a qualified service technician to clean and inspect your heating system.

Agriculture Safety

Confined space Entry

Confined spaces are common in agriculture- you can read more about basic guidelines on the Ministry of Labour website.

Flowing grain bin

It only takes two or three seconds to become trapped in a flowing grain bin. Within another 10 seconds, you can be completely submerged. If entry is essential, use the life-line buddy system. Watch a short video detailing bin safety as well as some rights and wrongs when entering a bin. It does not take long to encounter a problem, and safety must be everyone's first priority.

Silo gas dangers

Contact with deadly silo gases continues to occur wherever silos exist. Although such contact may not occur as often as with other kinds of hazards in agriculture, one should not be lax with safety during the ensiling process. These gases are and will continue to be a very real hazard for as long as silage remains a common livestock feed. It is important that every farm worker understands the dangers associated with silo gases, and how to deal with them.