Presenter Notes

Slide 1

Introduce yourself.Thank your audience for the opportunity to talk to them about fire safety.Explain what your presentation will cover: the importance of fire safety, what your audience can do to make their clients’ homes fire safe, and how they can encourage their clients to react if a fire occurs in their home.

Slide 2

Why is fire safety so important to older and vulnerable adults?• Older or vulnerable adults are at the highest risk of being killed or injured by

fire• Older adults are the fastest growing age group in society• People are living longer and staying in their own homes• Older or vulnerable adults face challenges that make them more vulnerable

to fire

Slide 3

Most fire deaths occur in the home, where people feel safe and secure. In Ontario, 86% of fatal fires occur in residential properties. The majority of preventable fires resulting in a fire death are where people live.So today we will focus on the essential things you can do to help keep your clients safe in their homes.

Slide 4

Who is dying in fires?

Older adults are at the greatest risk of fire death compared with other age groups.

What’s different about fires involving victims age 65+?• In Ontario, the largest percentage of fire deaths occur in the 70-79 age

group.• In this age group, more incidents occur where clothing is ignited by smokers

materials or cooking• In this age group, more victims are physically disabled• Typically, older or vulnerable adults may have physical limitations making

them slower to react or evacuate

Slide 5

The three leading causes of fires involving older adults are:1. Cooking, and specifically unattended cooking2. Cigarettes 3. Heating equipment, specifically the improper use of space heaters

So let’s take a look at each of these causes and what can be done to prevent these types of fire.

Slide 6

As mentioned, cooking is a leading cause of home fires, so you must be aware of all the hazards that lurk around the stove.

Key Points:• Encourage your client to “Look while you cook” – to never leave cooking

unattended. • If they leave the kitchen while cooking with oil or high temperatures, tell

them to turn off the stove, or suggest they take a spoon or oven mitt with them to remind them of their cooking.

Slide 7

Q: What is the hazard?A: Items that can easily catch fire too close to the stove.

Key Points:• Items such as curtains, tea towels, oven mitts, pot holders and paper towels

should not be kept too close to the stovetop• Keep things that can catch fire away from your stovetop• Clutter contributes to the spread of fire

Slide 8

Correct behaviourMessage: Clear the clutter

Slide 9

Message: Use an oven mitt to prevent scalds and burns.Encourage your clients to use an oven mitt when cooking.

[Demonstration: Educator can bring prop – show proper oven mitts and pot holders]

Key Points:• Use dry oven mitts or potholders when removing hot food from ovens,

microwaves, or stovetops• Do not use tea towels as they can dangle and catch fire• Replace old or worn oven mitts to prevent burns• Open microwave containers slowly, away from you to avoid scalds from

steam

Slide 10

Q: What is the hazard here?A: Wearing loose clothing when cooking.

Key Points:• Avoid wearing loose dangling clothing while cooking• Wear tight-fitting or rolled up sleeves when cooking• Loose dangling clothing can come into contact with the burners and catch

on fire• Loose dangling clothing can also catch the pot and knock it over

Slide 11

Correct behaviourMessage: Wear tight-fitting or rolled up sleeves

Slide 12

Another common cause of fires is careless smoking. In fact, in Ontario, careless smoking is the number one cause of fire deaths.• Encourage smokers to smoke outside or use large deep ashtrays that are

heavy enough so they can’t be easily knocked over.• Do not extinguish cigarettes in plant pots, which often contain peat moss,

shredded wood and bark that can easily ignite.• Encourage your client to never smoke in bed or when lying down.• Encourage your client to never smoke when they are sleepy, drinking

alcoholic beverages or when taking medications that make them drowsy.• Empty ashtrays properly - douse ashes with water or empty them into the

toilet. Make sure they are completely out. Never empty ashtrays directly into the garbage.

• And always keep matches and lighters out of the sight and reach of children

Slide 13

Portable heaters are a great way to supplement your central heating, but they can also be a fire hazard if used incorrectly.Make sure that all combustibles/things that can burn are kept at least one metre (three feet) away from portable heaters.Examples: Curtains or drapes, furniture, blankets, bedding

Slide 14

[Note to Educator: If possible, have octopus outlets and damaged or frayed cords as props to show your audience]

• Electrical fires are also common in Ontario.• Multiple appliances plugged into one outlet can overload the circuit, causing

an electrical short and a potential fire.• Avoid overloading a circuit with “octopus outlets”.• Check cords for damage such as fraying or nicks. A damaged cord can

expose wires and result in a potential shock or fire hazard.• Avoid running cords under rugs, which can damage the cord and cause a

fire.

Slide 15

Q: What is the hazard?A: “Octopus” wiring – too many items plugged into the one receptacle.

Key Point:• Multiple appliances plugged into one outlet can overload the circuit, causing

an electrical short and a potential fire

Slide 16

We’ve just talked about the leading causes of fire. There are three other issues that contribute to fire fatalities: no working smoke alarms, no home fire escape plans and the spread of smoke.

Educator to ask: First, can anyone tell me why it is important to have working smoke alarms in your home? A: It’s the law and because fire spreads so quickly, that people may have less than 60 seconds to safely escape a fire. 60 seconds!! So early warning of that fire is vital. And only working smoke alarms can provide that early warning.

Slide 17

The law requires that smoke alarms be installed on every storey of the home and outside all sleeping areas.For added protection, the fire service recommends that smoke alarms be installed in every bedroom

Slide 18

What can you do?: • Check to ensure your client has the appropriate number of smoke alarms

installed in their home.• Then make sure the smoke alarms work. Smoke alarms need to be tested

every month by pressing the test button.

[Demonstration: The educator should have a smoke alarm and batteries as props. Show the audience how to test the smoke alarm.]

Slide 19

Q: Can anyone tell me how often you should change the batteries in your smoke alarms?A: Change the battery in each smoke alarm once a year and whenever the low-battery warning sounds (“chirps”)

Make sure the batteries in your clients’ smoke alarms are changed once a year.

[Demonstration: Educator should use props to show how to change the battery in the smoke alarm.]

Slide 20

Q: Can anyone tell me how often you should replace your smoke alarms?A: Replace the smoke alarms every 10 years – they do wear out – including those hard-wired to the home’s electrical system.

Slide 21

If there are no working smoke alarms in your client’s home, we ask you to: • Consult with your supervisor: can your agency provide the family with a

smoke alarm immediately?• Consider contacting the fire department and ask them to install smoke

alarms to make the home safer

Slide 22

[Note to Educator: Its important to develop a protocol between yourself and your partners to ensure that all fire safety issues are resolved. The referral form can be tailored/revised to meet everyone’s needs.]

Educator should hand out the referral form to attendees. Discuss the referral form and how your fire department expects home care and community workers to use it. Indicate that it could be used for any fire safety concerns they have about their clients, not only smoke alarm concerns.

Slide 23

People have to remember that working smoke alarms are not enough to ensure they safely escape a fire in their home. The fire service often finds that people don’t know what to do when the smoke alarms sound – typically because they haven’t planned how to escape their home in the event of a fire. Everyone in the home MUST know exactly what to do to escape BEFORE a fire occurs. Talk to your clients about home fire escape planning.

Slide 24

[Note to educator: Have available the home fire escape planning resource instructions/grid]

Key Points: This is what a home fire escape plan should include:

• Make sure everyone knows two ways out of each room, if possible• Check that all exits are unobstructed and easy to use• If caught in smoke, get low and go under the smoke to the nearest safe

exit.• Choose a meeting place outside, such as a tree or a lamp post, where

everyone can be accounted for• Call the fire department from outside the home, from a cell phone or

neighbour’s home• Once out, stay out. Never re-enter a burning building.• Practice your home fire escape plan.

Slide 25

The educator should stress that having working smoke alarms and a home fire escape plan can increase your chances of escaping a fire in your home.

Slide 26

[Note to educator: show three minute clip of No Time to Spare to reinforce the speed at which fire spreads and the importance of working smoke alarms and home fire escape plans][Click on the slide to start the video]To reinforce the importance of maintaining working smoke alarms, properly storing fire starting materials and practicing a home fire escape plan, I want to show you the re-creation of a fire that occurred in Ontario a few years ago in which a five-year-old boy died. The mother, father and a second child managed to escape, but the five-year-old became scared and ran back upstairs, where he perished in the fire. The fire was started by the boy, who was playing with matches.At the time, the Ontario Fire Code required that residences have one smoke alarm installed outside sleeping areas. This home did have a working smoke alarm outside the sleeping area on the second floor of the home.The Office of the Fire Marshal had the opportunity to re-create the fire in a home that was identical to that in the actual fire. For the re-creation, the OFM installed an additional smoke alarm on the first storey, as well as heat sensors and video cameras to monitor the conditions and behaviours of the fire. This re-creation provided great insight into fire growth and spread, and was instrumental in building the case for the change to the Ontario Fire Code that now requires working smoke alarms on all storeys and outside sleeping areas of all homes in Ontario. Ask the audience to take note of the amount of time that elapses from the start of the fire to the sound of the smoke alarms on each storey, as well as the time that flashover occurs. This highlights how little time there is for escape and rescue, and the absolute importance of working smoke alarms and home fire escape plans. After showing the re-creation, ask the audience:

• "What is your reaction to the fire re-creation?" • Reinforce the importance of working smoke alarms and home fire

escape planning.

Slide 27

The final issue we want to address is the spread of smoke. In fatal fires, people usually think it is the flames that kill people. But that is a myth –typically it is the toxic smoke and gases that overcome people. This means that preventing the spread of smoke is extremely important to protecting people if a fire occurs.If your clients live in apartment buildings or multi-unit dwellings, remind them to always close all doors when leaving their apartment/building in the event of a fire. This includes their apartment door, all hallway doors and stairwell doors. Similarly, if you see any of these doors propped open while visiting clients in the building, the fire service asks you to close them and fill out a referral form to be sent to the fire department.

Slide 28

This presentation has provided you with valuable fire safety information that you can provide to your clients to increase their fire safety. [The educator should recap the key messages on this slide.]

Slide 29

So you can use this checklist when you are visiting your clients’ home to identify potential fire safety concerns that should be addressed to reduce the risk of injury and death from fire. [Educator can provide copies of the checklist to the audience and/or partner agencies]

Slide 30