Fire Prevention

The best way to fight fires is by preventing them!

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home. 

Smoke alarms

Seconds count in a fire. Give your family the best head a start and make sure you have smoke alarms installed as required by law - smoke alarms must be installed on every level of your home and outside of all sleeping areas. For added protection, install smoke alarms inside every bedroom. 

For more information on smoke alarms visit the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs' Smoke Alarms webpage. 

Carbon monoxide (CO) alarms

Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless, tasteless and toxic gas. CO is often referred to as a "silent killer" since it cannot be detected without an alarm. CO alarms are required outside all sleeping areas if you have a fuel burning appliance in your home or an attached garage.

For more information on carbon monoxide visit the TSSA's CO Safety website. 

Where does CO come from and what are fuel burning appliances?

Carbon monoxide is produced by incomplete burning of fuels such as:

  • Wood
  • Propane
  • Natural Gas
  • Heating Oil
  • Coal
  • Kerosene
  • Charcoal
  • Gasoline

Any appliance, equipment or vehicle that uses one of these fuels can create CO. Fuel burning appliances can include (but are not limited to):

  • wood or gas burning stoves
  • gas refrigerators
  • gasoline engines (such as vehicles or generators)
  • kerosene heaters
  • gas water heaters
  • gas dryers

Woodstove ashes can remain hot for a long time, which makes them both a fire hazard and a CO hazard. If you burn wood in your home, make sure the ash bucket is made of a non-combustible material and is kept outside, away from the house and anything else that could catch fire. 

All of your fuel burning appliances must be maintained on a regular basis. A qualified service professional should inspect all of your appliances at least once a year. 

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms expire. 

Is your smoke or CO alarm celebrating its 10th year in your home? It's time to replace it! 

Check the back of your alarms for the manufacture date. Many alarms expire after 10 years, but some may expire before that so check with the manufacturer if you aren't sure when the alarm expires. Replace any alarms that have expired. 

Once you've checked the date, test the alarm. All alarms in your home should be tested monthly by pressing the test button.

Fire safety education for the whole family 

2022 DDFS Fire Prevention Week poster contest has a winner!

2022 Fire Prevention Week poster contest winning entry - "Always have a plan!" along the top with the image of a home on fire, escape ladder from 2nd storey, large deciduous tree beside the house with a red x to mark the meeting spot. Directions for safe escape appear in box on the poster: "Make sure you and your family has a plan to get out in case of a fire and to have a meeting spot outside", "You can exit your house through a window or door. If your window is high up try to get a roll-down ladder to help get you down" and "Make sure you check and test your fire alarm once a month."The winner of our 2nd annual Fire Prevention Week poster contest has been selected!

The contest was open to all students 12 years of age and older at St. Joseph's CES and Warsaw Public School. 

The theme this year was "Fire won't wait. Plan your escape." Students were asked to create a poster that encouraged families to make and practice a home escape plan.

The student received a prize package that included $100 worth of gift certificates from Lansdowne Place.

Thank you to the Douro-Dummer Firefighters Association for donating the prize!

 2021 Fire Prevention Week Contests

 2021 Fire Prevention Week OAFC home escape plan contest winner
 2021 Fire Prevention Week home escape plan contest winner with his prizes.From October 1 to December 2, 2021, the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC) held a home escape plan contest that challenged entrants to find two ways out of every room of their home and to know where to meet outside in the event of an emergency.

Douro-Dummer Fire Services (DDFS) personnel distributed the OAFC contest entry sheets to eligible students at Warsaw Public School and St. Joseph’s Catholic Elementary School during Fire Prevention Week in October.

A winner was selected by the OAFC from all the entries in Ontario, and we are thrilled to announce that Emmet from Douro-Dummer won the grand prize! On a blustery day in February, DDFS personnel met Emmet and his family to present his prizes. Fire Chief Chuck Pedersen presented Emmet with a framed copy of his entry, complete with a first prize ribbon.

“We are grateful for all the children that took the time to prepare a plan to ensure they know two ways out of their home in the event of a fire. We are so proud of Emmet who submitted a great picture, showing just that, and won first place in the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs’ contest” says Fire Chief Pedersen.

Emmet received a gift basket and cheque from the OAFC, as well as a gift certificate from the Douro-Dummer Firefighters’ Association to use at the Kawartha Buttertart Factory. To top it all off, Emmet, his sister Mya Lynn and aunt Andrea got to take a ride in a fire truck with their favourite firefighter, Wayne Greystock.

Emmet completed the entry with his sister Mya Lynn and nana Jen, making this a family activity. By taking the time to complete this contest together as a family, they have all learned the routes to get out of their home and where to meet outside in the event of an emergency.

Emmet accepts his prize from DDFS personnel

Are you interested in submitting an entry for the OAFC or DDFS contests this year? Please watch our website during Fire Prevention Week in October for details! 

 2021 DDFS poster contest winner
 
2021 Fire Prevention Week contest winner The 2021 Douro-Dummer Fire Services (DDFS) poster contest winner was a student from St. Joseph's Catholic Elementary School who received a prize package that included $100 worth of gift certificates from Lansdowne Place!

Thank you to the Douro-Dummer Firefighters Association for donating the prize!

 

Family-friendly links to "Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety"
The 2021 Fire Prevention Week theme was "Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety." To learn more please visit the National Fire Protection Association's website as well as these family friendly links:

For more videos, games and activities for kids please visit sparky.org.

For the teenagers and their parents, the video No Time to Spare shows the dramatic difference having working smoke alarms makes, the importance of fire prevention, home escape planning and how quickly a fire can escalate in a home. 

Fire Prevention and Life Safety in Student Accommodations 

For many families the fall is an exciting time as students head back to school, and for some, that means leaving home for the first time. Make sure your children are prepared: talk with them about safety in their new accommodations, maybe even take a tour and ask questions of the property owners or building managers. 

Student Accommodations: A parent's guide to finding fire-safe accommodation for students attending college or university 

If you have any questions about anything related to the fire prevention or would like to request a home inspection please don't hesitate to contact us!