2022 Fire Safety Initiatives

Home Fire Sprinklers Week

May 15 – 21, 2022

Home Fire Sprinkler Week is a project of the National Fire Protection Association Fire Sprinkler Initiatives and Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Canada. Home fire sprinklers, along with smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and home escape plans form a complete system of home fire safety.

Did you know…

Thirteen years ago, you had on average about 14-17 minutes to escape a house fire. Today, with the prevalence of synthetic materials in the home, occupants have roughly 2-3 minutes to get out.
Fire sprinklers give you time to escape
The risk of dying in a home fire decreases by about 85 percent if sprinklers are present.
When sprinklers were present, fires were kept to the room of origin 97 percent of the time.
In the event of a fire, typically only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water directly on the fire, leaving the rest of the house dry and secure. Roughly 89 percent of the time just one sprinkler operates.

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Burn Awareness Week

February 6 – 12, 2022

Burn Awareness Week is an opportunity to learn about burn hazards in the home. This year's theme, "Burning Issues in the Kitchen", focuses on the kitchen as a leading location of burn injuries and home fires.

Cooking brings families and friends together, but did you know that cooking fires are the leading cause of all home fires and fire injuries? Has the doorbell ever rung, a child interrupted you, or the phone rings causing you to forget about the food you left on the stove - until smoke filled the house or your smoke alarm goes off? Often when we’re called to a cooking-related fire, the residents tell us they only left the kitchen for a few minutes. Sadly, that’s all it takes for a disaster to strike.

The Township of Langley Fire Department has seen an increase in kitchen fires with more families cooking at home during the pandemic. The Fire Department would like to remind residents to be safe when cooking and follow these cooking safety tips to help keep you and your family safe.

Cook with Caution:

Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stovetop.
Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.
When cooking, wear tight-fitting clothing or short sleeves so your clothes won’t catch on fire. Baggy clothes or dangling sleeves can easily brush over a hot burner and catch fire.
Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet (1 metre) around the stove and areas where hot food or drinks are being prepared.

Scald & Burn Safety:

When using taps, turn the COLD water on first, and then add HOT water. Reverse when turning water off; turn off the HOT water first then the COLD water.
Be very careful when drinking HOT liquids, especially around children. At 60 C (140 F) it takes less than five seconds to get a third-degree burn. Children and older adults, by virtue of their thinner skin, sustain serve burns at lower temperatures and in less time than an adult.
Discuss the dangers around a stove. Teach children to never touch anything on the stove, or to open the oven.
Kitchen and appliance safety is important in every household. Burns received in the kitchen are usually a result of scalds from hot foods or liquids, or contact burn from hot appliances.
More than half of people injured in fire involving cooking equipment were hurt while attempting to fight the fire themselves.
Within seconds of a burn injury, the burned area should be place in, or flushed with, cool water. Keep the burned area in the cool water for 10 - 15 minutes. NEVER use ice, ointments or butter.