Fire Safety

Ajax Fire invites residents to attend Family Safety Day on Saturday, June 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ajax Fire Station Headquarters located at 900 Salem Road N. There will be various interactive activities such as a hazard house display, a children's obstacle course, a hose target game, firefighter training demonstrations, fire safety information handouts, and much more!

Agenda & What to Expect:

Interactive exhibits by Emergency Service Personnel that include:

• Children's Obstacle Course
• Hazard House - Hunt for Home hazards
• 38 mm Water Hose Target Shoot for Kids
• Rescue demonstrations
• Fire Safety Information Handouts
• PARA Marine
• And lots more!

Enter draws to win great prizes!

Additional parking available at 800 Salem Road N. (Operations Centre)

All activities are free for everyone to enjoy. Please note that food trucks will not be available for food purchases this year.

We will be accepting non-perishable food items for the food bank.

12 Days of Fire Safety reminders:

Day 1: Holiday Lights: Inspect for cracked or damaged cords, broken plugs or loose connections and replace before installing.

Day 2: Water fresh-cut Christmas trees daily. Always keep the base of the trunk in water and away from heat sources such as fireplaces, heaters, or candles.

Day 3: Candles: Blow candles out when you leave the room. Battery powered candles are a great alternative. 

Day 4: Smoke Alarms: An alarm on every level of your home, tested monthly and batteries replaced annually is probably the best gift you can give your family this holiday season. 

Day 5: Carbon Monoxide alarms (CO): CO is poisonous. You can’t see, smell or taste CO. Protect your family from CO poisoning by installing working CO Alarms on every level of your home and near all sleeping areas. 

Day 6: Extension Cords: Extension cords are for temporary use only. Avoid overloading a circuit and never cover extension cords with a rug or furniture. 

Day 7: Kids in the Kitchen- Holiday safety starts with safe families in the kitchen. Little hands (or paws!) and holiday heat don’t belong together - keep kids safe while you cook. 

Day 8: Home Escape Plans: Give your family the gift of peace of mind with a home escape plan that shows two ways out of every room and has a meeting place outside your front yard like a tree or a sidewalk.

Day 9: Cooking: Unattended cooking is the leading cause of fires in Ajax. Stay in the kitchen if you are frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food.

Day 10: Heating Sources: Keep heat sources 1 metre away from combustibles like furniture, decorations, and paper.

Day 11: Smoking: If you smoke, smoke outside and use deep sturdy ashtrays. Never flick your butts!

Day 12: Lithium-ion batteries: Always monitor the device when it’s charging, use the appropriate charger and do not exceed the recommended charging time.

• In the event of an emergency, working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms can save your life
• Every home in Ontario is required to have a working smoke alarm on every storey, as well as outside of all sleeping areas, it is the law
• Test your smoke alarms every month using the test button
• Replace smoke alarm batteries at least once a year and whenever the low battery warning chirps

• You must replace ALL smoke alarms every 10 years with the same type of alarm. For example, a hardwired electric alarm must be replaced with a new hardwired electric alarm and an alarm with a visual indicator (strobe) must be replaced with a new alarm that has a visual indicator

• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms don't last forever, replace them as required per the manufacturer's instructions

Single-Family Dwelling / House: 

• A Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarm must be installed in existing homes that have any of the following:

  • A fuel-burning appliance (like a furnace, water heater, or stove that uses natural gas, propane, oil, or wood)
  • A fireplace
  • An attached garage
  • Air for heating that comes from a fuel-burning appliance not contained within the home (e.g., an appliance in a utility shed)

• If your home meets any of the conditions above, a CO alarm must be installed:

  • Adjacent to each sleeping area (near all bedrooms)
  • On every storey (floor) of your home, including storeys that do not have a sleeping area

Multi-Unit Residential Buildings: 

• Installation is required in several areas in the building:

  1 - Inside Individual Suites (Residential Units)

  A Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarm must be installed in a suite if any of the following conditions apply:

  • The suite itself contains a fuel-burning appliance (like a furnace or water heater) or a fireplace
  • The suite is located directly above, below, or beside a service room that has a fuel burning appliance
  • The suite is located directly above, below, or beside a garage
  • The suite is heated by air coming from a fuel burning appliance that is not contained within the suite (e.g. heat from a furnace in a central service room)

  Placement within the suite:

  • Adjacent to each sleeping area (e.g. near all bedrooms)
  • On every storey (floor) of the suite. Including storeys that do not have a sleeping area.

  2 - Service Rooms and Common Areas of the Building

  • A CO alarm must be installed in each service room or area of the building that contains a fuel-burning appliance
  • CO alarms must be installed in public corridors serving the residential suites, if those corridors are heated by air from a fuel-burning appliance 

Care Occupancy Buildings:

• Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms will be mandatory in both the individual resident suites and common areas of the building.

  1 - Inside Individual Care Occupancy Suites

  A CO alarm must be installed in a resident suite if any of the following conditions apply:

  • The suite itself contains a fuel-burning appliance (like a furnace or water heater) or a fireplace
  • The suite is located directly above, below, or beside a service room 
  • The suite is located directly above, below, or beside a garage
  • The suite is heated by air coming from a fuel burning appliance that is not contained within the suite (e.g. heat from a furnace in a central service room)

  Placement within the suite:

  • Adjacent to each sleeping area (e.g. near all bedrooms)
  • On every storey (floor) of the suite. Including storeys that do not have a sleeping area.

  2 - Service Rooms and Common Areas of the Building

  • A CO alarm must be installed in each service room or area of the building that contains a fuel-burning appliance 

Cooking Safety

• Keep your cooking space clean and free of anything that can burn
• Don't store anything on the back of your stove
• Reaching over hot burners and pots can cause burns
• Roll up your sleeves or wear a short sleeved shirt
• Keep pot lids close to the stove while you cook
• If there is a small fire you can slide lids onto pots and turn off burners to put it out

Fire Extinguishers

A fire extinguisher can help control many types of fires while you are waiting for the fire department to arrive

• Always read the instructions that come with the fire extinguisher
• Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen, not too close to the stove, and consider having one in the garage, workshop, basement, camper trailer, vacation home or boat if applicable
• Check extinguishers monthly to ensure that they are holding the charge
• If you are required to use a fire extinguisher, remember the acronym “P.A.S.S.”. Pull the needle, aim the hose, squeeze the nozzle and sweep from side to side at the base of the fire
• Have extinguishers serviced annually by a qualified contractor

Home Escape Planning

• Draw a floor plan of your home
• Mark all windows and doors
• Plan two ways out of every room, the primary escape should be the door and the secondary should be the window
• Make sure all windows and doors can be opened easily
• In a two-storey building, plan your escape through a window onto a roof or porch
• If you must use an escape ladder, be sure everyone knows how to use it. Children should practice with an adult
• Choose a meeting place for family members outside and mark it on the floor plan, a good meeting place would be a tree, a telephone pole or a neighbours house
• Make sure everyone understands the planned escape routes
• Practice your escape plan at least twice a year with everybody in your home
• Remember to practice with visitors and guests too

Heating Safety

• Keep anything that can burn at least one metre away from furnaces, baseboard heaters, woodstoves and fireplaces
• Make sure you have working carbon monoxide alarms outside sleeping areas in your home;
• Get regular maintenance on your heating equipment from a qualified professional
• Turn off portable heaters every time you leave the room and when you go to bed
• Put ashes into a metal bucket far from combustible materials to cool down, it can take three days for ashes to cool completely
• Maintain chimneys to ensure there are no blockages

Candle Safety

• Always stay in the room when candles are burning, put out the flame every time you leave the room or go to bed
• In a power outage use battery powered lanterns or battery powered candles to reduce the risk of fire
• Keep candles away from anything that can burn such as furniture or curtains
• Keep candles, matches and lighters away from pets and children
• Keep candles in sturdy candleholders that won't tip or burn

Clearing Fire Hydrants

• Keep fire hydrants visible and accessible
• Keep grass and vegetation away from fire hydrants
• In winter make sure there is one metre of clear space around fire hydrants and clear paths to reach fire hydrants

Seasonal Tips

• Residents should refrain from setting off fireworks or attending informal neighbourhood displays. Follow the Town fireworks by-law and all manufacturer's instructions if you do decide to discharge fireworks.
• Keep your barbeque clean and inspect hoses and burners, make any needed repairs and have it inspected by a licensed gas professional.
• Open air wood burning appliances (i.e., chimeneas, bonfires etc.) are NOT permitted. Gas appliances (i.e., propane fire tables) are permitted.
• Always follow the manufacturers’ instructions when using all fuel burning appliances.
• Keep outdoor fuel burning appliances away from combustibles such as buildings, decks, patio furnishings (umbrellas and awnings), fences and vegetation.

If there is a fire in your unit:

• Tell everyone in the unit to leave, close all doors behind you
• Pull the fire alarm on your floor and yell “fire”
• Leave the building using the nearest stairway
• Call 9-1-1 when it is safe to do so
• Meet the firefighters and tell them where the fire is

If you decide to leave the building when you hear the fire alarm:

• Feel the door of your unit before opening it. If it is hot, use another way out. If it is cool, leave the building immediately using the closest stairway
• Close all doors behind you
• Do not use the elevator
• If you encounter smoke in the stairway, use another stairway, if this is not an option, return to your unit or seek shelter in another unit
• If an announcement is made throughout the building, listen carefully and follow the directions;
• Call 9-1-1 and let them know where you are

If you can't get out of your unit or you decide to stay in your unit:

• Stay in your apartment until you are rescued or until you are told to leave. This may take a long time
• Do not try to leave your apartment a long time after the alarm has sounded. The longer you wait, the more risk there is that heavy smoke will have spread into stairways and corridors
• Keep smoke from entering your apartment. Use duct tape to seal cracks around the door and place wet towels at the bottom. Seal vents or air ducts the same way

If smoke enters your apartment:

• Call 9-1-1 and tell them where you are and then move to the balcony. Close the doors behind you
• If you don't have a balcony, go to the most smoke-free room, close the door and seal it with tape and towels. If necessary, open the window for fresh air. Show emergency personnel where you are by hanging a sheet from the window or balcony
• Keep low to the floor where the air is cleaner
• Listen for instructions from authorities

Gasoline Safety Tips

Vapour from gasoline can catch on fire or explode very easily.

• Store in small quantities (less than one gallon) in containers that have been approved by the Canadian Standard Association (CSA) or Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada (ULC)
• Don't store gasoline in your home
• Never carry gasoline in the trunk of your vehicle
• Always fill lawnmowers, snow blowers, etc. in a well-ventilated area outside of your building and move away from where you filled up when you start the motor
• Avoid spills, if you do spill gasoline wipe it up right away
• Do not smoke when you use gasoline or other flammable liquids, and never use gasoline for cleaning purposes
• Do not store gasoline where children will have easy access to it, if a child swallows gasoline call a Poison Centre or a doctor right away

Propane Safety Tips

• A smell is added to propane so that you can smell it if there is a leak, it smells like rotten eggs or boiling cabbage
• Store your propane tanks outside in a well-ventilated and secure location
• Keep your head away from the valves on propane tanks because a sudden burst of propane liquid from the safety valve could result in serious injury or frostbite
• Keep your tank painted a white, aluminum or another reflective colour to reflect sunlight which can cause the tank to heat up and increase in pressure
• Ask propane suppliers to check for dents, damage, rust or leaks before refilling a tank
• Check the date stamp on the collar of the tank to see when it was last approved, propane tanks must be inspected and re-qualified or replaced every 10 years in Canada