From the time a home smoke alarm sounds, occupants might have as little as two minutes to escape a fire.
To improve chances of making it out safely, Brad Sifert, assistant chief of fire prevention in Victoria, said people need to create and practise escape plans, which should identify two exits — usually a door and a window — from every room in the home and a clear route outside from every exit.
“Practise until you feel good about it,” Sifert said. “And practise at different times of the day.”
Fire Prevention Week runs from Oct. 6 to 12, and Sifert and his team are using the opportunity to share tips on how to avoid and survive house fires.
Vancouver Island has seen five structure fires in the last week, one of which killed a woman in Merville, near Courtenay.
Sifert stressed the importance of smoke alarms. “Make sure there’s one in every bedroom and on every level,” he said.
He suggested buying smoke alarms that are connected to each other so if one goes off, all alarms go off.
The city provides free smoke alarms to residents living in single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses who can’t afford to buy them.
People can also arrange for a home visit by a fire prevention officer who will identify the best locations for smoke alarms, test current alarms and install new ones.
Alarms need regular maintenance and testing. Sifert said people should clean and test their alarms monthly, and follow the instructions for maintenance provided by the manufacturer.
Residents should change the batteries in most smoke alarms twice a year. Fire prevention officers recommend using daylight time changes as a reminder to replace the batteries.
“That’s one that will hurt when we don’t have the time change anymore,” Sifert said.
Fire prevention officers also encourage people to sleep with their doors closed to prevent the spread of fire into the bedroom while they sleep.
To prevent house fires, Sifert said people should keep an eye on the stove and oven while cooking, leave one metre of open space around electrical heaters, have fireplaces and chimneys professionally cleaned before every winter and avoid overusing electrical outlets by plugging too many appliances into one extension cord.
Sifert said he doesn’t think many people are aware of all the ways they can protect themselves from house fires until it hits close to home. “It’s something you don’t think about until you read about it in the paper,” he said.
“We practise everything at school and at work, but a lot of it doesn’t transfer to home.”
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