Emergency Management

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Emergencies, by their nature or magnitude, require a coordinated response by a number of organizations, both governmental and private, under the direction of the appropriate elected and senior municipal officials. The Township of North Dumfries has plans and partnerships in place to ensure a coordinated response to emergencies and disasters. The Township is responsible for developing, putting in place, and maintaining the Township of North Dumfries Emergency Response Plan. This plan describes the roles and responsibilities of Township employees and our partners, including fire departments, police, and community agencies and how the Township responds to emergencies.

Emergency Preparedness

Resources:

to review the Township Emergency Plan, please refer to the Township Plan page.
Visit Emergency Management Ontario.
Visit Canadian Emergency Management Agencies/Organizations.
Preparing for a Flood.

Home Safety Plan

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds. Your ability to get out depends on an advance warning from smoke alarms, and advanced planning. Every household must have a fire escape plan and a working smoke alarm to help ensure survival in a fire. Begin your plan by checking your smoke alarm to make sure that it is working.

Please take a few minutes with your family to make a fire escape plan by following these nine simple instructions:

Draw a floor plan of your home
Include all possible emergency exits
Include any important features that could help with your escape
Mark two escape routes from each room
Remember - some people may need help to escape
Choose a place outside where everyone will meet
Call the fire department from a neighbour's home or a cell phone
Make sure everyone is familiar with the home escape plan
Practice your escape plan

Fire Prevention

Did you know that most fatal house fires occur during sleeping hours giving people little time to react? Be prepared and safe!

Causes of Fires

Common causes of fires at home include:

careless smoking
improperly installed or improperly maintained wood stoves
faulty wiring
careless use of cooking equipment
careless use of flammable liquids

Preventing Fires at Home

install smoke alarms
have a home escape plan
install fire extinguishers
plan your escape route

What to do if a Fire Occurs in your Home

stay low since smoke rises, leaving fresh air at floor level
do not open doors or windows that indicate signs of hear or smoke seepage
stop, drop and roll if your clothing catches on fire
once you are safe, call 911 from the nearest phone
do not re-enter the building

Facts About Fire Safety

fires can double in size approximately every 30-60 seconds (a $20,000 kitchen fire can become a $160,000 house fire in less than three minutes)
in 8 minutes a fire can grow by 64 times
progression of a structural fire to the point of "flashover" (the very rapid spreading of the fire due to super heating of the room contents and other combustibles) generally occurs in 7 - 10 minutes
for medical aid calls, basic life support should be initiated within 4 minutes
a reduction of only 2-3 minutes in the completion of a rescue operation could increase a fire victim's survival by 8 times
a minimum acceptable staffing consists of 4 fire fighters on the first responding pumper
fire fighting is labour intensive; reducing fire fighters equates to reducing levels of service, which equates to a lower level of safety
as response times increase, public safety decreases

Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a reported fire in half.

effective March 1, 2006, it is the law for all Ontario homes to have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas
over 90% of residential fires are preventable
an injury is reported in 1 out of every 17 preventable home fires and not all injuries are reported
1 out of every 100 preventable residential fires is a fatal fire
if anyone in the household sleeps with the bedroom door closed, install an alarm inside their bedroom
never remove the batteries from smoke alarms; if nuisance alarms are a problem, try moving the alarm to another location or purchase an alarm with a hush feature that temporarily silences the alarm
replace smoke alarms every 10 years
test smoke alarms once a month and replace the batteries every year
make sure everyone in the house knows what to do if the smoke alarm sounds; develop a home fire escape plan and practice it with the entire household

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that is odourless, colourless, and tasteless. It is referred to as "the silent killer." CO is produced when fuels such as natural gas, oil, wood, propane and kerosene don't get enough air to burn up completely. The best defence is proper maintenance of fuel burning appliances, equipment and venting systems.

A CO detector is needed if you have an attached garage, wood or gas fireplace, or anyone of these gas appliances: furnace, water heater, or range. CO detectors are the only way to determine if CO is present, other than physical symptoms similar to the flu (i.e., nausea, headache, burning eyes, confusion, and drowsiness, except there is no fever). If symptoms appear, it is imperative to get everyone, including pets, outside to fresh air immediately and call 911.

Since CO detectors do not detect fire or smoke and smoke alarms do not detect CO, your home needs both CO and smoke alarms. It is essential that you install CO and smoke alarms on every level of your home or cottage in accordance with manufacturer's instructions. There are units available that combine the function of both CO and smoke alarms into one device.

Remember to test your alarms once a month by pressing the test button on the units. Batteries need to be replaced twice per year. The Ontario Fire Marshal recommends that smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced every 7-10 years.

When Sirens Approach

On a Multi-lane Highway (Maximum 100 km/h Speed Limit)

Slow down, signal, and move to the right. When safe to do so, pull closely to the right side of the roadway and stop. Do not move onto the shoulder.

On a Two-Lane Road

Signal and move to the right. Pull as close as possible to the right edge of the road, clear of any intersection, and stop.

On a One-Way Street

Signal and pull to the right or left side of the street, clear of any intersection and stop.

At Intersections

Traffic in an intersection or approaching from all directions must yield to an emergency vehicle until it passes through the intersection. Never block the intersection. Do not make a left turn if an emergency vehicle is approaching from behind. In this situation, the motorist should proceed straight through the intersection, then pull to the right and stop.

First Aid Training

North Dumfries Fire Department now offers a First Aid and CPR training course.

First Aid & CPR training is mandatory for employees in the workplace. Unlike other types of safety training, these skills and knowledge are applicable to an individual's daily life. The course is taught in easy-to-follow steps, empowering people to prevent, act on, and manage life's emergencies.

Practical hands-on components are supported by a variety of training materials such as:

mannequins for practicing CPR
AED trainers
bandages, splinting materials, barrier devices, first aid kits
auto-injector trainers
inhalers, etc.

All Canadian Red Cross programs meet the current International guidelines and follow strict quality control procedures for content development, update, and delivery.