Safety tips you need to know to keep you and your family warm and safe this winter

Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires in Ontario, writes Vaughan Fire Chief Andrew Zvanitajs

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 11, 2024
Chief Andrew Zvanitajs

On behalf of Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and share some tips to help keep your family warm and safe this winter.

Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires in Ontario. Follow these safety precautions when using fireplaces, furnaces, chimneys and space heaters:

• Keep flammable items (like curtains, furniture, paper and clothing) at least three feet (one metre) away from any furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable heater.

• Have a qualified professional inspect your furnace and fireplace every year to ensure they're in good working order, and follow the manufacturer's recommendations for maintenance.

• Never use a barbecue, generator or fuel-burning space heater inside your home or garage. These items could release carbon monoxide (CO) or other poisonous gases.

 

After a snowfall, there are several things you can do to help protect your family and neighbours, and assist the fire department:

• Clear away snow and ice from the dryer, furnace, stove and fireplace exterior vents and exhaust pipes in your house. If a vent is blocked, CO can build up inside the home, which can have deadly results. If you ever smell gas inside your home, leave immediately and call 9-1-1.

• Remove snow from in front of all doors and ensure windows aren't frozen shut so you can easily escape in case of a fire.

• If there's a fire hydrant near your home or business, shovel at least a one-metre radius around the hydrant with a path to the street so firefighters can quickly locate the hydrant if it's needed. In an emergency, every second matters.

• Don't park cars on the street while snowplows are clearing the roads. This allows crews to carry out plowing operations safely and keeps roads clear for emergency vehicles.

 

Even in the coldest weather, the ice on stormwater management ponds is often thin, making it unsafe.

Water flow and levels are constantly changing without warning, making the thickness of the ice highly unpredictable, which is a serious safety hazard. These ponds are not designed or intended for recreational use, such as skating or sliding -- no activities on the ice are safe.

Most importantly, install smoke and CO alarms on all levels of your home and test them at least once a month. Working alarms save lives -- it not only alerts you to an emergency, but it can also give you precious seconds to escape.

Keep fire prevention top of mind this winter and throughout the year.

Visit vaughan.ca/fire to learn more.