Fire Safety

Smoke alarms save lives by warning you about a fire in your home while there is still time to escape. Smoke alarms must be installed on every floor of your home including the basement, outside of all sleeping areas and now it is recommended in every bedroom. Test your smoke alarms once a month and have the batteries replaced at least once a year. 

If you live in a rental home or apartment, it is the responsibility of the owner or landlord to provide and install smoke alarms and provide you batteries. If your landlord will not install a smoke alarm for you, please call our Fire Prevention Division at (204) 729-2409 and we can help.

Do you know what to do if a fire occurs in your home? Prepare a family fire escape plan.

Be sure to:

• Include all family members in the planning of your escape plan.
• Draw a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of every room.
• Go over the plan with everyone in your family so they understand how to escape if there is a fire.
• Select a meeting place outside of your home where all family members will meet after they have escaped.
• Call 9-1-1 from a safe location (i.e. cell phone or neighbour’s house).
• Do not go back into your home for any reason. Once you are out – STAY OUT!
• Practice your home fire escape plan by holding a fire drill twice a year. Once in Summer and Winter

In a fire, smoke and heat rise. Cleaner and cooler air is near the floor. Always try a second way out if you encounter smoke while escaping but if you have to escape through the smoke, crawl on your hands and knees.

Careless smoking is a major cause of house fires.

• Never smoke when you are in bed.
• Use a large, deep, glass or metal ashtray.
• Disposal of ashes / butts must involve the materials coming in contact with water prior to placing in the garbage.
• Always check your seat cushions and floors for cigarette butts prior to leaving the house or going to bed.
• Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children.

Never leave a candle unattended for any reason. If you are leaving the room, extinguish the candle. Always place the candle on a solid, level surface, away from windows and all combustible materials including drapes and curtains. Keep children and pets away from lit candles as candles can be easily knocked over. Always use the proper type of holder for the candle and never carry it while it is lit.

Always stay in the kitchen while you are cooking. Never leave cooking unattended and if you must leave the kitchen, turn off the stove! Cooking fires are easily preventable if you follow these fire safety tips:

• Wear clothes with short or tight-fitting sleeves while you cook to avoid catching your clothes on fire.
• Always keep a tight-fitting lid and an oven mitt near the stove when you are cooking and if the pot or pan catches fire, slide the lid over it and turn off the stove. Do not try and lift or move it.
• Unplug kettles, frying pans and other appliances when not in use.
• Turn pot handles inward where you can’t bump them and children can’t grab them.

Keep matches and lighters away from children. Lock them up in a cupboard that is high and out of reach. Teach children that when they find matches or lighters they should tell an adult because they are tools and not toys.

Know the warning signs that indicate a problem in your electrical system; such as flickering lights, smoke or a strange odour coming from appliances, discolouration around the plug-in, blown fuses or circuit breakers that trip. Check any exposed wiring and make sure it is not cracked or frayed. All electrical repairs shall be done by a qualified electrician.

All apartment buildings shall have an approved Fire Safety Plan posted throughout the building. Read this plan and take the time to sit down with your family members to discuss what to do when there is a fire in your apartment unit or in the building. The Fire Safety Plan will provide you with all the necessary information needed to safely escape or what to do if you’re trapped.

If the fire is in your apartment

• Alert everyone and leave your apartment immediately, don’t stop to collect valuables! Do not take the time to look for items.
• Close the apartment door, leaving it unlocked.
• Sound the building’s fire alarm system in the hallway, if it is so equipped.
• On your way out, if safe to do so, knock on doors to alert other occupants.
• Leave your floor by the nearest exit or stairs ensuring that all doors close behind you to prevent or slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
• Call 9-1-1 from a safe location; giving your name, address, apartment number, and details about the fire when you last saw it.
• Never use the building elevators.
• Do not go back into the building until you are told that it is safe to do so by Brandon Fire and Emergency Services personnel or building representatives.

If you are trapped in your apartment

If you hear the building’s fire alarm system, we recommend that you and your family consider leaving the building by the nearest safe exit or stairwell. If the corridors or stairwells cannot be used due to excessive smoke, heat, or fire, you should remain in your apartment or take refuge in a neighbour’s apartment.

• Close the apartment door. Use wet towels, sheets, or duct tape to seal all openings around the door. If smoke begins coming in ventilation outlets, such as in the bathroom or kitchen, seal them as well.
• Move to the balcony or the most protected room, opening windows to provide you with fresh air. We recommend that you do not break the window. Be prepared to close the window if smoke starts to enter the room from the outside.
• If the smoke enters the room, stay low. Remember that heat and smoke rise.
• Call 9-1-1 and tell them where you are and your need for rescue.
• Listen for instructions on the building’s voice communication system; if the building is so equipped.
• Signal your position by waving a white sheet or similar item.
• Remain calm and wait to be rescued.

A rooming home is a type of residential occupancy in which there may be lodgers living in a home in which a washroom and or kitchen is shared with others. If you live in this type of home, there are fire regulations designed to keep you safe. The following questions will help determine if your home is fire-safe:

• Is there a smoke alarm in the hallway and possibly one in your room?
• Do the smoke alarms work?
• Is there a fire extinguisher in the hallway?
• Is the door to your room a solid wood door and does it close properly?
• Is there a Fire Safety Plan posted in the building and has it been explained to you?
• Are there a minimum of two exits from every floor level?

If you answered NO to any of these questions, then your home may not be in compliance with fire regulations. The building owner is required by law to comply with all fire safety regulations. Contact the Fire Prevention Division at 204-729-2409 and ask for an Inspector.

Home fires affect all the residents including our non-human family members. To protect the entire family, start by ensuring that all smoke alarms are in good working order and change batteries twice annually if a battery unit.

The best way to protect your pets from the effects of a fire is to include them in your “Family Fire Safety Plan”. Designate one human family member who would be responsible for each pet.

The National Fire Protection Association estimates that nearly 1,000 home fires in the USA each year are accidentally started by the homeowners' pets. There are no Canadian statistics.

Safeguard you, your family, and your pets against fire: "fireproof" your pets to help prevent a disaster from happening in your home. Here are some good tips to help prevent accidental fires:

• Never leave a burning candle unsupervised! Extinguish open flames as pets are generally curious and will investigate cooking appliances, candles, or even a fire in your fireplace. Ensure your pet is not left unattended around an open flame and make sure to thoroughly extinguish any open flame before leaving your home.
• Make sure that all cords are either inaccessible to your pets, or that you unplug the cords when the electrical device is not in use. Some dogs, cats, rabbits, and rodents like to nibble on cords, which can result in serious burns and can cause a fire. Remember young animals like to chew on inappropriate items.
• Remove stove knobs - Be sure to remove stove knobs or protect them with covers before leaving the house - a stove or cooktop is the number one piece of equipment involved in your pet starting a fire.
• Invest in flameless candles. These candles contain a light bulb rather than an open flame and take the danger out of your pet knocking over a candle. Cats are notorious for starting fires when their tails turn over lit candles.
• Secure young pets; keep them confined away from potential fire-starting hazards when you are away from home such as in crates or behind baby gates in secure areas. Keep certain appliances, such as irons and hair dryers, out of pets' reach. These appliances can produce enough heat that, if knocked over by a pet, they could start a fire. Install a barrier in front of fireplaces, campfires, barbecues, and portable heaters. It is a myth that pets are afraid of fire - in fact, many pets like to lay close to a source of heat to stay warm. Lying too close to a fire could result in your pet's fur catching fire, and it is possible for most pets to knock over a portable heater or a barbecue. Always ensure your pets cannot get near these items. If your pet gets burned: put cool water on the burned area quickly, followed by a cold compress, and seek veterinary assistance immediately.

Prepare their own disaster supplies kit for each pet. The kit should contain some of your pet’s food, veterinary paperwork, prescription medications if any, and photo/description of your pet. You may have to board your pet at a kennel or other facility until you get settled after a fire, and these facilities will require proof that your pet has current vaccinations.

Know their hiding places: Remember, your pets will be terrified, and they’ll most likely run to the places they feel most safe. If you don’t know their common hiding places, you could run out of time to save your friend. Find all the best cubbyholes and niches, map them out on a piece of paper, and include the map in your fire escape plan.

Keep pet houses or pens away from brushy areas. It is advised to clear dry brush away from your home, outbuildings, fences, and any shelter for your pets.

If you have a doghouse, penning for a rabbit, pot-bellied pig, or other outdoor pet, make sure it is at least 10 metres or 20 feet away from any brush that could possibly become fuel in a fire. This will give you time to go out and rescue your pet if such a fire does threaten your property.

Evacuate: In the event of a disaster where you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. Leave the property by the quickest and safest means possible, collect your pet on the way - providing it's practical to do so and won't cause a delay and won't hamper your exit.

Restrain your pet: Always evacuate your pets on a leash or in a pet carrier. Just as with fireworks, pets will panic at the smell of smoke and they may bolt at any time, making them impossible to find. Keep collars and leads near your front or back door (whichever you use more frequently or even at both). When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near entrances or external windows where firefighters can easily find them.

If you leave your pet: Inform onsite firefighters of its last known location and favourite hiding place. Firefighters will do what they can to ensure your pet is treated as a priority. On your way out, leave a door open and call the pet’s name, with luck, it will hear you and head for your voice. Be prepared; he’ll be panicked. Be sure to have a designated meeting place near your home for everyone to meet so everyone will be accounted for away from the fire. Animals have a natural fear of fire and will attempt to get away through an open door, window, or pet flap/door.

Never re-enter a burning building, it may result in you or your pet requiring rescue, sustaining injury, or death.

With a little planning, you can ensure that every family member; person or pet, will be safe in case there is a fire in your home.

The 2025 Ambulance Rates can be found here.

The various Fire Permit applications and information can be found here.

Fire extinguishers are tested and rated by the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC in Canada and UL in the USA) for the class and size of fire that they will extinguish.

Class "A" fire extinguishers are to be used on ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, cloth, rubber, straw, etc. An example would be a 2.5 U.S. gallon pressurized water extinguisher which has a 2-A rating.

The number is used to identify the amount of fire extinguishing potential of the different types of extinguisher suitable for use on Class "A" fires. For example, a 4-A extinguisher can be expected to extinguish approximately twice as much fire as a 2-A extinguisher.

Class "B" fire extinguishers are used on flammable or combustible liquids such as oil, gas, paint, thinners, grease, etc. The extinguishment required is one that excludes air, inhibits the release of combustible vapours, or interrupts the combustion chain reaction.

The number serves two purposes:

1. It indicates the relative fire extinguishing potential of various sizes of the different types of extinguishers suitable for Class "B" fires.
2. It is also an approximate indication of the square-foot area of deep-layer flammable liquid fire that the average trained operator can extinguish.

For example, a 10-B unit can be expected to extinguish 10 times as much fire as a 1-B unit and should successfully extinguish 10 square feet of a flammable liquid fire when used by a trained operator.

The Class "C" rating has no number and issued to indicate that the extinguishing agent does not conduct electricity. A Class "C" extinguisher is required for fires involving energized electrical wiring and equipment or appliances. Whenever possible, electrical equipment should be de-energized before attacking a Class "C" fire.

There is also a Class "D" rating. These are specialized extinguisher used to extinguish fires involving combustible metals such as magnesium, sodium, zirconium, etc.

Your extinguisher is a multipurpose fire extinguisher and is good for all the types of fire found in your average home office. It is also the size that is most often recommended.

Most hardware outlets and extinguisher servicing companies have extinguishers for sale which are suitable for home use.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions as listed on the extinguisher.

General Instructions:

• Operate the extinguisher in an upright position
• Remove the safety pin
• Aim at the base of the fire from the distance recommended by the manufacturer
• Squeeze the handle
• Use a sweeping motion
• Call Brandon Fire & Emergency Services (9-1-1) immediately!

Fire Escape Planning

After each use, or if the gauge shows a loss of pressure. Dry chemical extinguishers have to be hydrostatically tested and recharged every 6 years.

No. Dry chemical extinguishers are usually filled with Mono-ammonium phosphate. This is a non-toxic substance; however, large amounts of this powder in the air can cause breathing difficulties. Leave the area after discharging a dry chemical fire extinguisher. Call Brandon Fire & Emergency Services (9-1-1) to ensure that the fire is completely extinguished.

Store your extinguisher away from the stove, near the entrance to the kitchen. Mount the extinguisher away from power tools, near the exit.

Caution: Never put yourself or anyone else in jeopardy by trying to extinguish a fire which may be too large ... Sound an alarm to other occupants, leave the building closing all doors behind you, and call Brandon Fire & Emergency Services (9-1-1). Go to your designated meeting place and wait for the Firefighters to arrive. Never go back into a burning building!

The recommended extinguisher for home use is a "Dry Chemical" type, generally type 2A - 10BC.

Early models of smoke alarms made under the brand name of "Centurion" were recalled. Always check for C.S.A. or U.L.C. approval.

The problem is usually a weak or improper battery. Replace with a fresh battery as recommended by the manufacturer.

Smoke alarms are electronic devices that do require eventual replacement. Studies have shown that they should be replaced after 7 to 10 years, depending on the location.

The Manitoba Fire Code governs the installation and maintenance of smoke alarms.

Installation is the owner’s responsibility. The occupant is to notify the owner in writing. Installation is to be done by the owner upon receipt of notification.

Maintenance is the owner’s responsibility. The battery is to be changed within 2 days of written notification.

Note: The Manitoba Fire Code puts the onus on the owner to install and maintain the smoke alarm.

The tenant should test the unit weekly, for a duration of at least 2 minutes preferably using smoke from an extinguished candle or incense.

1. Between each sleeping area and the remainder of the building.
2. Where a sleeping area is served by hallway, install the detector in the hall.
3. Install the detector on or near the ceiling in accordance with the manufacturer’s installation instructions or if in doubt call an Inspector at 204-729-2400.

Brandon Fire & Emergency Services cannot recommend specific manufacturers. We do recommend that electrical smoke alarms (hard wired), be C.S.A. approved and that any battery-operated smoke alarm be U.L.C. approved.

Brandon Fire & Emergency Services is one of few specialized departments in Canada that have dual-trained Firefighters and Paramedics within the Hall. The Ambulance Service in Brandon is run strictly by Brandon Fire & Emergency Services; meaning when you need an ambulance, you get Firefighter/Paramedics to answer and ensure that all potential hazards are dealt with by professionals.

Absolutely! There are three levels to Para-medicine: Primary Care Paramedic, Technician-Paramedic, and Advanced Care Paramedic. Brandon Fire & Emergency Services have Technician Paramedics within the Hall. This involves specialized skills in defibrillation, IV's, various types of drugs, etc. to ensure that your medical needs are met on scene and on route to the appropriate medical facility.