Central York Fire Services offers safety tips to young adults living on their own for first time

Parents encouraged to speak with their children about fire safety and how to ensure they are living in a fire-safe environment

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 6, 2023
Aileen Zangouei

With many young adults set to leave their parents' homes and pursue their post secondary education while living in school residences, or student housing or first apartments, Central York Fire Services (CYFS) is reminding them of fire safety.

An Aug. 23 news release from CYFS encourages parents to speak with their children about the importance of fire safety and how to ensure they are living in a fire-safe environment.

"As we prepare our young adults to leave the nest, there are so many things to pack and lessons to try to pass along. But there’s one talk that can make a big difference," said CYFS Fire Chief Ian Laing.

"The fire safety talk can help give your young adults the insight they need to act if an emergency strikes when they are on their own. If you’re helping them unpack, go through their new space with them to identify exit points and hazards while reviewing our fire safety checklist," Laing said.

Here are the CYFS top 10 tips on the fire safety checklist:

1) Make sure the residence or student housing or rental apartment has a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas of the home or building -- it’s the law.

2) Make sure the residence or student housing or rental apartment has a carbon monoxide alarm installed outside of all sleeping areas of the home or building.

3) Never remove batteries to solve nuisance alarms. Only working smoke alarms save lives.

4) Always remain in the kitchen when something is cooking. Stove top fires can start in an instant. Kitchen fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires. Keep space heaters at least one metre (three feet) away from anything that can burn and be sure to turn off the heater before going to bed or leaving the room.

5) Make sure that electrical cords of any kind are not concealed under carpets or rugs, where they can be easily damaged. Use multi-outlet power bars that are approved and provide surge protection and a circuit breaker to avoid overloading.

6) Make sure all designated escape routes are accessible and free of clutter.

7) When doing laundry, always clean the lint screen before and after each use and be careful not to overload the dryer.

8) Keep the area around the dryer clear.

9) Practise your home escape plan with all occupants of the home/building regularly so that everyone understands it.

10) Identify two ways out in case of a fire, and designate a safe space to meet outside the building.

For more fire safety tips for students living away from home, visit cyfs.ca.