Despite the wildfire season slowing, house fires are one of those things you don’t think will happen to you until it does. Often, it’s too late.
Here are some tips to keep your home and property FireSmart.
First discussed are indoor tips.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be on at least every level of the house, although it’s better to have more.
Check monthly 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.
Booker noted two different kinds of smoke detectors — photoelectric and ionization. Some are less prone to picking up steam, say if 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 meeting place everyone knows, whether a tree at the end of the driveway, at the neighbours or a garage if it’s a safe distance from the house.
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 in 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 911 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 or 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 labelled 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 reminded people that while fire extinguishers may not entirely fight a fire, they can suppress one in time for you to exit.
Cooking Fires
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of house fires and involves 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 near the stove could ignite).
Keep lids turned toward the back of the stove, keeping your children and pets safe.
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 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, therefore, prone to overheating.
Batteries
“Using unapproved/off-brand batteries and chargers is dangerous,” said Booker, who 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 sawdust, wood shavings and other items that can act as fuel.
Barbecues
Propane cylinders should never be stored indoors.
Pull your barbecue away from the house while using, as the siding or overhang of a home can catch fire. Propane should also not be stored in your barbecue.
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. While doing everything at once can be costly, focus on firesmarting items needing immediate repair or replacement.
Keep dead vegetation away from your house, especially within the first 10 feet, and clear your gutter and roof.
Firewood piles should be at least 10 metres from the home, if not 30.
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 can also have a screen placed over them, stopping 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.
