Basic fire safety begins at home where a little bit of planning can go a long way towards protecting your loved ones and preventing damage to your belongings.

Review these tips on fire prevention and safety as well as what to do in case of a fire and be prepared. Click the + buttons to expand the sections and check out the resources from the City of Calgary Fire Department on the right.

• Fire Prevention

  These are general tips to prevent a fire in your home.

  • Do not store flammable materials inside your home or attached storage.
  • Do not overload power outlets or use damaged, old or frayed power cords.
  • A power bar with a shut-off feature can protect your electrical appliances.
  • Advise your Property Manager immediately if you become aware of any fire hazards in your home or building, for example, accumulations of combustible materials, flammable liquids, or blocked exit routes.
  • Do not prop open fire doors or disable automatic door closers, as you place both yourself and your neighbours in danger in the event of a fire.

• Cooking and Kitchen Safety

  These are fire prevention and general safety tips to prevent burn injuries in your kitchen.

  • Never leave cooking food unattended.
  • Use your stove’s back burners whenever possible.
  • Turn pot handles inward to reduce the risk of pots being knocked over.
  • Always keep an oven mitt and lid nearby when cooking.
  • If a small grease fire starts in a pan, smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan.
  • Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, and other items that can burn, away from your stovetop.
  • Do not to store combustible or flammable items in the bottom drawer of the oven.
  • In case of an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

• Preventing False Alarms

  Prevent annoying false alarms that also waste your smoke detector’s battery life.

  • Keep your stove, oven and toasters clean to prevent setting off your smoke alarm.
  • Use the exhaust fan (if available) when cooking to reduce the possibility of false alarms.
  • Use bathroom exhaust fans to prevent steam from setting off your alarm.
  • If your smoke detector is being set off too easily, ask your Property Manager if it can be moved.

• In case of Fire – Call 9-1-1

  Knowing what to do in the event of a fire can help you escape to safety.

  • Have a fire escape plan (Check out this fire escape plan from the Calgary Fire Department.)
  • Draw a floor plan of your unit on the fire escape plan.
  • If you live in an apartment building, you will find fire safety and evacuation information posted on each floor.
  • Make sure you know at least two ways out of the building in case one escape route is blocked by fire.
  • Plan escape routes with everyone in your household and practice them regularly so everyone knows how to exit the building safely.
  • If you hear a fire alarm, always leave the building right away. Follow your fire escape plan.
  • If a fire occurs in your unit, evacuate to safety, activate the fire alarm, and call 911 for the fire department.

• Smoke Alarms

  CHC Apartment Buildings

  Every CHC Apartment Building is equipped with a fire alarm system and evacuation plans are posted in the common areas.  Please read these so you are aware of what to do in case of a fire.

  • If you hear the fire alarm in your building, exit immediately then call 911.  
  • Do not use the elevators.  
  • If you require assistance exiting your unit, call 911.

  CHC Townhomes and Single Family Homes

  CHC townhomes and single family homes are equipped with smoke detectors.

  • Smoke detectors must not be tampered with.
  • This includes no painting or covering of the smoke detectors.
  • You should test your smoke detectors once a month to ensure they function.
  • Report any malfunctioning or broken smoke detectors to your Property Manager.

Additional Resources

Learn more about fire safety on the
Calgary Fire Department’s website:

~ Fire Safety Equipment
~ Smoke Alarms
~ Home Fire Safety
~ Electrical and Gas Appliances
~ Apartment Building Fire Safety
~ Proper Disposal of Smoking Material

The post Safe and Sound: Fire Prevention and Safety Tips appeared first on Calgary Housing.

Flood Preparedness in Calgary during a pandemic

According to the City of Calgary, we can experience flooding any time of year, but flooding is most likely to happen between May 15 and July 15, when we historically receive our largest rainfalls.

While we can’t prevent flooding entirely, the best way to ease the added stress amid the COVID-19 pandemic is by doing what we can to be flood ready.

Here’s how you can be prepared for a flood and additional things to consider during a pandemic.

Know your risk and be prepared

• Know your flood risk level by checking out the City Flood Maps and seeing if you are in a high flood risk or low flood risk area.
• Prepare your family in case you need to leave your home quickly by reviewing and updating your Emergency Action Plan.
• If possible, create an emergency kit that you can carry, that includes essentials like prescriptions, items for pets/kids, chargers, personal documents,
• Plan where you would stay if you were instructed to leave your home and consider where you might park your car outside of the flood zone.
• Ensure your Tenant Liaison or Property Manager knows if you require assistance in the event of an emergency.

Things to consider during a pandemic

• If you made an emergency kit, add hand sanitizer, soap and cloth face coverings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• If you need to stay with others talk about how you will manage staying healthy, managing physical distance and maintaining hygiene practices.
• Ensure any person(s) in self-isolation will have a separate room, and ideally a separate bathroom.
• If you need help to evacuate or need to help a friend, family member or neighbour, take care to prevent the spread of the virus by follow the City’s Physical Distancing Guidelines.
• If anyone in your family or the destination household is in self-isolation, consider staying in a hotel or accommodation that is not shared.

How the City of Calgary prepares for a mitigates flooding risk

The City mitigates the risk of flooding as much as possible, and if flooding were to occur, the priority is public safety and the protection of critical infrastructure, vital community services, the environment and the economy.

Each year, the City works to ensure critical infrastructure will continue to operate or recover rapidly from a serious incident or disaster. They also work to ensure that critical infrastructure and public safety are protected.

From the City of Calgary:

• Emergency Preparedness info For Kids 
• Flood Preparedness Info 
• Emergency Preparedness Info

Together, we can all do our part to ensure we are prepared in the event of an emergency, and respond and recover in true Calgary fashion – with resilience and strength of community.

For more information about flood preparedness, check out Flood Preparedness Info from the City of Calgary and take a look at the links on the right for other useful resources to help you be prepared for any type of emergency.

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