Home News Local News Georgina Fire and Rescue Services’ programs educate residents on fire safety

Georgina Fire and Rescue Services’ programs educate residents on fire safety

October 23, 2023

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By Michelle Poirier

Georgina Fire and Rescue Services are wrapping up their annual Home Safe Home and Community Captain programs, which started on May 1 and will end on October 31.

Home Safe Home has been running for a few years and is a door-to-door smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm program, Lorianne Zwicker, Georgina Fire and Rescue Services Deputy Fire Chief, said.

Through the program fire crews meet with residents to ensure they have working smoke and CO alarms and that the alarms are placed in the correct location in the homes.

“The crew will also discuss the importance of testing the alarms, maintenance of the battery, and when to replace the alarms. Crews will also discuss home escape planning in the event of a fire,” Zwicker said.

New this year is the Community Captain Program, which was created under the Community Risk Reduction Plan that was completed earlier this year.

“Georgina was divided into eight communities and each community was assigned a Community Captain. The Risk Assessment provided Georgina Fire with critical information in relation to fire risk in each of these communities,” she said.

“The top three risks of fire were determined, and the Community Captain and crew were provided with educational material that they could share with the residents in their communities.”

Zwicker said since 2018 Home Safe Home has been to almost 7000 homes, and for its first year the Community Captain program has resulted in 776 households receiving fire safety education on their top three risks of fire.

Zwicker said reaching out to the community through these programs, and the Open House held in September, provides the fire department an opportunity to educate families on the importance of working fire and carbon monoxide alarms and home escape planning.

“With less than two minutes to safely escape your home in the event of a fire, it is essential that you ensure that you have working smoke and CO alarms. Test your alarms monthly, have an escape plan ready, know two ways out (if possible), have a meeting place and, once you are outside, stay outside,” Zwicker said.

For more information visit https://www.georgina.ca/living-here/fire-and-rescue-services/community-risk-portal.