Public Education

The Ontario Fire Code requires a working smoke alarm on every floor in a home and outside all sleeping areas. For maximum protection, we recommend smoke alarms in every bedroom. 

Tips for best smoke alarm use:

• When installing smoke alarms, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for the best placement.
• Test your alarm monthly using the test button
• Replace alarm batteries once a year or whenever you hear the low-battery chirp
• Replace alarms within the time frame advised by the manufacturers, typically within ten years.

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, all homes with fuel-burning appliances, fireplaces, or attached garages must have carbon monoxide (CO) alarms on every level of their home and near all sleeping areas. The update to the Ontario Fire Code aims to protect families from the dangers of carbon monoxide, a colourless, odourless gas that can be fatal if undetected.

The new Ontario Fire Code requirements apply to homes that have any of the following:

• ·A fuel-burning appliance (furnace, water heater, gas stove or wood stove)
• ·A wood or gas burning fireplace

• An attached garage
• NEW: Heated air supplied by a fuel-burning appliance located outside the home. Examples include: outdoor wood furnace (wood boiler), pellet stove in a detached utility building, propane or natural gas furnace in an outbuilding, or external boiler system connected to home heating.

As required by the Ontario Fire Code, CO alarms must be installed:

• Near every sleeping area, and
• NEW: on every storey of the home including floors without bedrooms

This applies to detached homes, townhouses, and rowhouses

CO poisoning is preventable with a working alarm!

For more info visit www.Ontario.ca/CarbonMonoxide

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you with less than two minutes to escape safely once a fire has started. It is essential to know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. 

1. Develop a home fire escape plan – know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds.
2. Practice your escape plan
3. Make sure everyone knows two ways out of each room, if possible.
4. Help those who need it – who will help children, older adults and anyone with a disability.
5. Get low and go – under the smoke and to the nearest safe exit.
6. Choose a meeting place outside – a safe distance from your home.
7. Get out, stay out – never re-enter a burning building. 

Check out our very own mascot, Sparky. Children can learn about fire safety through interactive videos, games and much more. Click here to learn more.

Kitchen safety:

Leaving cooking unattended is the number one cause of home fires. The tips below will help you reduce the risk of kitchen fires:

• Stay in the kitchen when cooking, especially if using oil or cooking at high temperatures.
• Keep items such as cooking utensils, dishcloths, paper towels, and pot holders away from heat.
• Keep children away from cooking areas, and turn pot handles inwards.
• Do not wear loose-fitting clothing as it is easier to catch fire – stop, drop and roll if your clothing catches fire.
• Enjoy a drink while eating the meal, not preparing the meal as many fatal fires occur when people are impaired. 

Barbecue safety: 

• Open the lid when lighting the barbecue with a match.
• Keep the barbecue away from combustible items, and never keep it in a garage.
• Store propane cylinders in upright and well-ventilated areas
• Check the fitting that connects the barbecue hose is not cracked or bent.
• Propane cylinders must be certified every ten years.

The use of portable heaters is a practice that is not encouraged by the Prescott Fire Department due to well-documented fire safety hazards in the Province of Ontario. If the heater is an absolute necessity, owners should adopt a policy to ensure they do not create a fire hazard. The policy should be posted in the building and must address the following: 

• Have a built-in tip-over overheat protection
• Be labelled with a Canadian safety certification
• Located at least 3 feet away from furniture, window treatments, bedding, clothing, rugs, and other combustibles
• Plugged directly into an outlet. Do not use extension cords
• Inspected and cleaned heaters regularly
• Be shut off and unplugged when left unattended
• Located away from water and out of damp locations
• Maintained in originally manufactured condition (i.e. protective screens in place and damaged units replaced)
• Be electrically powered. Fuel-fired appliances are not permitted.

Please visit The Office of Fire Marshal website for more information.