Fire is Costly, Fire is Deadly

SOUTH BRUCE PENINSULA FIRE DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF

South Bruce Peninsula Municipal Office
Box 310, 315 George St. Wiarton, ON
(519) 534-1400 ext. 142

FIRE IS COSTLY, FIRE IS DEADLY
SAVE YOUR LIFE, SAVE YOUR MONEY
PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING TO YOU!

PREVENTION TIPS

� Never leave cooking or candles unattended.
� Keep heaters one metre away from anything such as curtains, which could catch fire
� Have your heating systems serviced once a year by a professional. If you think something is wrong with
your heating system due to smoke or discharge then shut it off and do not restart it until after having it
inspected by a professional.
� Keep your chimney clean
� If you smoke use large, deep ashtrays and always make sure cigarette butts are out. Never smoke while
lying down.
� Wear tight fitting clothes or roll up sleeves when cooking and never reach over a hot burner. If a pot
catches fire, cover the pot with a lid and turn off the burner.
� If your clothing catches fire. Stop what you are doing. Drop to the ground covering your face with your
hands and roll over and over to put out the flames.

SMOKE ALARMS

� Install working smoke alarms on every floor of your home and inside or near every sleeping area.
� Test your smoke alarms regularly; we suggest testing them weekly and replacing the batteries
when you change your clocks twice a year.
� Replace any smoke alarms after 10 years.
� Each home should install at least one carbon monoxide detector, these should
also be tested regularly and replaced every three years.

ESCAPE

� Make a plan that includes two escape routes from every room
� Practice your plan
� Designate a place to meet other members of your family outside.
� If you live in an apartment building, learn the evacuation plan.
� Most victims die from smoke inhalation. Smoke rises during a fire, if smoke is heavy crawl on your hands
and knees to safety.

HELP US HELP YOU

Please help us to get to emergencies quicker by respecting the green flashing light that firefighters' vehicles are
equipped with. This light means that a firefighter is responding to an emergency in his/her personal vehicle, so
please pull over to the right and allow him/her to pass.
In the case of an emergency please dial 911
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
FOREST FIRE
The majority of forest fires are human caused and can be prevented.
Houses built in and near forests should be constructed out of fire resistant materials. The grass
around the house should be kept cut and tree branches should not touch the house.

Campfires are the leading cause of forest fires and therefore the following precautions should be
taken:
� Never leave a campfire unattended.
� Choose a site with access to water.
� Make sure that your campfire is a safe distance from buildings (15 metres) and trees (3
metres)
� Keep your campfire small. Small fires are easier to control.
� Always make sure that your campfire is extinguished before you leave the area.

PANDEMIC POWER OUTAGE BLIZZARD/ICE
Occurs when large numbers of When a power outage occurs you
STORM
people get sick with the flu. should:

�
The flu is transmitted through A blizzard is the most dangerous
Turn off and unplug all
droplets coughed or sneezed into the of winter storms, combining
appliances and electrical
air and can survive on unwashed falling, blowing, drifting snow,
equipment.
hands for 5 minutes, tissues or winds of 40 kms per hour or more,
� Conserve and use water
clothing for 8-10 hours and on hard visibility less that 1 kms
wisely
surfaces for up to two days. temperatures less than -10�C; for
� Keep ready supplies of
a duration of six hours or more.
warm clothing and blankets
The flu is contagious for 3-5 days in � Listen to the radio for
adults and 7 days in children so if During a blizzard stay inside and
updates
someone you know has the flu stay keep vehicles off the road. This will
away from them. If you are caring make it easier for plows and
for someone with the flu it is emergency vehicles to do their jobs.
important to wash your hands
frequently. Maintain a survival kit equipped with
enough supplies for at least three
Washing your hands regularly is days.
Message from the
one of the best defenses during
cold and flu season it will help to For ideas on what should be kept in
prevent acquiring or spreading the your survival kit go to
virus.
http://southbrucepeninsula.com and
click on Protective Services and then
Disaster Preparation

The Emergency Management
Committee

THINK ABOUT IT AND BE
PREPARED!