Three Tips to Improve Fire Safety at Home

Over a year ago, my family was forced to evacuate from British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake region due to the devastating wildfires that ripped through the land that summer. We had been filming the construction of our cottage for a TV series and everything came to a sudden halt. Like many other families, we could only wait and watch, powerless.

For many of us, we think something like this would never happen. Now, my family has a new outlook on what it means to be prepared for a house fire. We’ve since partnered with Kidde, North America’s #1 home safety company*, to support the Cause For Alarm campaign—a national education initiative aimed at addressing the fire safety knowledge gaps in our communities.

For parents trying to improve their fire safety at home, here are my top three tips.

Replace, Install and Test Smoke Alarms Regularly

Ensure there are smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement and garage. What’s equally important is making sure they work—three out of five home fire deaths take place in homes that did not have properly working smoke alarms. Testing them at least once per month and changing the batteries twice per year could make all the difference.

Don’t want to worry about batteries? Try installing alarms that have built-in 10-year batteries and are hardwired into the electrical system in your home. An added benefit is that these alarms are interconnected, which means if one alarm goes off, they all go off. You can also choose smart smoke alarms that can connect to your smartphone and keep an eye on your home when you’re out. These alarms should also be checked once per month, but do not require you to change the batteries for up to 10 years.

Create a Fire Escape Plan

Admittedly, before the wildfires destroyed our cottage, creating a fire escape plan wasn’t a priority. But now, after sitting down with my family to make one, I feel at ease knowing they know what to do in the event of a house fire.

When planning a fire escape, remember to include:

• at least two ways out of every room, especially bedrooms
• fire escape ladders on higher floors for multi-story homes
• a designated meeting point outside the house
• an easy-to-remember phrase, especially for young children, like “beeps that last, get out fast” to help signal what to do when the smoke alarms go off; and
• resources to guide you, like the fire safety toolkit from Kidde.

Put Fire Extinguishers Within Easy Reach

Fires often start in the kitchen, living room or laundry room. Find strategic places to keep your fire extinguishers (yes, multiple, depending on the size of your home) that you can easily reach. They can be used to not only stifle a small fire but can also be used to create a path to safety if the fire is blocking your escape route.

Choose a multipurpose extinguisher that is large enough to put out a small fire, but not too heavy to handle. Above all else, practice how to use one before you need it.

As parents, it’s our job to prioritize fire safety at every stage of our children’s lives, and that requires breaking the silence at home to educate them about the severity of house fires. Show your children The Living Jingle, an important and emotional video from kids who have survived house fires, which serves as a very real reminder on how a proactive fire safety strategy can make all the difference in helping to protect your loved ones and your home.

For more tips on how to put fire safety into practice, visit CauseForAlarm.org/Canada.

*Based on total household installations as of December 2023