living
WHAT’S UP WITH…
Fire Safety and Prevention
MARK HOVELING, FIRE PREVENTION OFFICER, LETHBRIDGE FIRE & EMERGENCY SERVICES
Make sure electrical cords are not running across
doorways or under carpets. Extension cords are intended
for temporary use. Consider having a qualified electrician
add more electrical outlets so you don’t have to overuse
extension cords.
Visit http://www.nfpa.org/public-education/resources/
safety-tip-sheets for more tips.
F A L L A N D W I N T E R are seasons when we spend more
time indoors, so we’re offering some tips to reduce the risk
of fire in your home.
Butt out for fire safety
If you smoke inside your home, you could be putting
yourself and your family at risk for fires. Improperly
extinguished smoking materials are a major cause of fires,
deaths, and injuries in the home. The good news is that
these fires are preventable if you take proper precautions:
Smoke outside. Most deaths result from fires that
started in the living room or bedroom. Keep cigarettes,
lighters, matches, and other smoking materials up high and
out of the reach of children.
Use a deep, sturdy ashtray. Place it away from anything
that can burn. Do not discard cigarettes in places that
could easily ignite like mulch, potted plants, peat moss,
dried grasses or leaves.
Butt out. Before you throw away butts and ashes, make
sure they are completely extinguished. Placing butts and
ashes in a metal can filled with sand or water is best.
Never smoke, and never allow anyone to smoke,
where medical oxygen is used. Medical oxygen can cause
materials to ignite more easily and make fires burn at a
faster rate. It can also make an existing fire burn faster and
hotter.
Pay Attention When You Plug
Only use one heat-producing appliance (such as a coffee
maker, toaster, space heater, etc.) plugged into an electrical
outlet at a time.
Stay Warm… Safely
There is something about the winter months that make
it appealing to curl up in front of the TV, or read by a
fireplace or space heater. With a few safety tips you can
stay warm and safe this winter.
Keep anything that can burn at least one metre away
from heating equipment, such as your furnace, fireplace,
wood stove, or portable space heater. Remember to turn
portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to
bed.
Visit www.nfpa.org/public-education/resources/
safety-tip-sheets for more tips.
Clutter Can Kill
Lethbridge has a community outreach campaign that
can help educate members of our community about the
dangers of hoarding and how to de-clutter to reduce home
fire hazards. Did you know storing too much stuff around
a furnace is both a fire hazard and a carbon monoxide
hazard?
Visit www.lethbridge.ca/living-here/Our-Community/
Pages/Hoarding-Committee.aspx for more information
about the community outreach campaign.
Schedule a Home Fire Inspection
How old is your smoke detector? Do you need a fire
extinguisher for your home? Is your home fire safe?
You can have these questions answered with a free
Home Fire Inspection. Call our Fire Prevention Office at
403-320-3811 to schedule your appointment.
Do you have a question you’d like to ask the City of
Lethbridge? Submit it to [email protected]
and we’ll get you some answers!
LETHBRIDGELIVING.COM
NOV-DEC 2017
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