Take part in Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service's March break safety contest

Thestar.com
March 10, 2022

Whether you have young kids, teenagers or pets at home, March break is a great time for the whole family to keep fire safety top of mind.

CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS, CHANGE YOUR BATTERIES

Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 13, right before the mid-winter break in York Region. As always, Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS) recommends using this time of year as a reminder to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms, and test all your alarms to make sure they are in good working order.

SOUNDS OF FIRE SAFETY CONTEST

To help make testing your alarms a little more fun, VFRS is running a new contest. Show us how you are making fire safety a priority! To enter, film yourself testing a smoke or CO alarm in your home. Videos should be 15 seconds or less.

The contest is open to people 18 years of age and older who live or work in Vaughan. There is a limit of one entry per individual, and VFRS will randomly select 10 people to win coupons for free McDonald’s meals.

The contest runs from Sunday, March 13 to Saturday, March 26. To learn more, visit vaughan.ca/fire. Good luck!

HOME ESCAPE PLAN

After you know your alarms are functioning properly, it’s time to make your home escape plan to prepare your family for the worst-case scenario. Here’s how:

• Draw your home’s floor plan, including all doors, windows and stairs for each level, and note any features that could help you escape, such as a garage or a balcony.

• Mark at least two escape routes from each room, so you know another way out if the door is blocked.

• Make sure everyone in your home knows where to meet outside -- a street sign or a mailbox, for example -- then call 911 and wait while the fire department arrives. A meeting place will allow you to count everyone and inform firefighters if anybody is still inside.

• Never go back into a burning building.

Once your plan is in place, practise it often and share it with anyone who stays in your home -- including relatives visiting for the weekend or guests attending a birthday sleepover.

More than half of all fatal home fires happen at night while people are asleep, so it’s important everyone knows what to do when an alarm sounds.

One of the most vital safety tips I never get tired of saying is: working alarms save lives! Smoke and CO alarms give you an early warning something is wrong so you can safely evacuate and call for help.

To learn more about fire safety, visit vaughan.ca/fire.

Stay safe and have fun this March break.

Andrew Zvanitajs is the fire chief of the Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service.