Niagara Fire Safety

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There have already been 50 fatal fires in Ontario this year. There are some steps you can take to make sure you don’t become part of that statistic.

Fifty-nine people have died in house fires this year. That includes a mother and her two young children who died when their house went up in flames last month in Hamilton. They were trapped on the top floor of the home with no way to escape.

Brian Dickson of Niagara Falls Fire says that “in general, careless smoking is still the leading cause of fires in this province.”

Harjinder Singh Bhullar died following a rural house fire in Stoney Creek. A cigarette butt left on the back deck was the cause of that fire.

The Niagara Falls Fire Department showed us just how quickly fire can spread and how important it is to have an escape plan and practice it with your family.

Dickson says “have two ways out. In case your one way out down the stairs is out; is there another way out a window or another opportunity? Is there a ladder? Is there a way to get out of every room in your house?”

Dickson also says every home should have a portable escape ladder. You can buy them at most hardware stores for under $100. They can be used in both multilevel homes and bungalows. Dickson says along with working smoke alarms people are starting to catch onto the importance of having one or more of these ladders but not enough practice how to use them.

The Niagara Falls Fire Fighters have a fire prevention event this Saturday. It runs from 10am until 2pm. The event is for the whole family to learn all about fire safety tips and the cost is free.