SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS
The holiday season typically is one of the deadliest times of the year for home fires. The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) is extremely concerned about the number of fire fatalities across the province already this holiday season.

The OFM urges fire departments to take immediate action to raise awareness of home fire safety this holiday season. Below are four public service announcements that address the leading causes of fires during the holiday season, including candles, careless cooking and alcohol. Also included is tree safety.
The fire service is urged to download these PSAs, deliver them to their local newspapers and request that they be printed throughout the holiday season. It is also recommended that departments contact radio and television stations about these issues and offer interviews to further raise public awareness.

Also below are a sample news release and newspaper editorial. Both are meant to remind the public of the importance of maintaining working smoke alarms on every storey and outside sleeping areas of their home. They also include fire safety tips for the holidays. The fire service can download both, customize them by filling in the information as indicated, then send them to local media.

Tips to combat the problem

The most common cause of nuisance alarms is cooking. Therefore, the first step is to minimize the problem at the source by keeping ovens and burners clean, and by turning down the timer setting on toasters. Using the fan on the range hood when cooking can also help to remove combustion particles from the air. If this fails to produce the desired results, there are other solutions to consider.
 
Shop smart: Find out what type of alarms suit your needs and the best areas of your home to install them to conquer nuisance alarms forever.
 Install smoke alarms with a pause feature For anyone experiencing nuisance alarms, a smoke alarm with a “pause” or “hush” feature is a must. These alarms have a button which, when pressed, silences the unit for several minutes. The alarm will then re-set itself automatically. It is highly recommended that any new smoke alarms purchased include this feature.

Move the alarm Sometimes the solution to frequent nuisance alarms is as simple as moving the alarm to a different location. If at all possible, avoid having a smoke alarm in the cooking area. Moving an alarm from the kitchen to the hallway could solve your problem. Another option is to move the alarm from the ceiling to the wall. The alarm should be installed no less than 10 cm and no more than 30 cm from the ceiling and should be located away from corners.

Try Alternative Technology
Smoke alarms commonly use one of two technologies to detect smoke: ionization or photoelectric. By understanding how each works you can make a more informed decision as to what suits your needs.
 Ionization-type smoke alarms have a small amount of radioactive material that ionizes the air between two electrically charged plates, causing a measurable current to flow between the plates. When smoke enters the chamber, it disrupts the flow of current, which activates the alarm. Ionization alarms respond slightly faster to flaming-type fires.
Photoelectric-type alarms work by aiming a light source into a sensing chamber at an angle away from the sensor. Smoke entering the chamber reflects light onto the sensor which triggers the alarm. Photoelectric alarms respond slightly faster to smoldering type fires.
Note: It is generally recommended that any alarms installed near the kitchen be of the photoelectric-type.