Living in a high-rise apartment building presents a unique set of challenges. For the most part, apartment buildings in Brampton have the most modern and effective fire prevention and fire suppression equipment available. This does not, however, lessen the importance of fire safety in these buildings.
Contractors build modern high-rises with firewalls that usually contain any fire to the unit in which it starts. Smoke, however, will travel throughout a building and cause a serious life-safety hazard for anyone in its path.
One question on every resident's mind is: “What do I do when the fire alarm sounds?”
This will depend on several factors. First and foremost, you must treat every fire alarm as an actual emergency. We realize that false alarms are common in some buildings, but if you ignore even one fire alarm, you could pay a tragic price.
Know your building
Whether you choose to leave the building or stay put will depend, to some extent, on the fire safety features in your building. If you are unsure if your building has a voice communications system, check with the superintendent, or contact our Fire Prevention division and we can advise you. If you have ever heard instructions broadcast to you inside your suite during a fire alarm, your building has a voice communication system.
Remember,
do not use the elevators during a fire alarm, for two very good reasons:
- You could become trapped and die in the elevator; and
- emergency personnel need to use the elevators to reach the fire and rescue residents.
The manager of all buildings should post a fire emergency plan in a visible location. We have provided a copy of these plans here. Please take some time and read them over.
Click Here for buildings
with voice communications
If you are unsure about the type of building you are in, follow the directions for “no voice communications”.
Your fire safety is your responsibility! If you live in an apartment or condominium, your safety also depends on the actions of the building management and other residents. Every fire is potentially dangerous and unpredictable, so do not underestimate the risk to your life. Fire and smoke move very quickly and the conditions in any part of the building may change in an instant. Smoke can spread throughout a building and enter your suite even when the fire is many floors away. During an emergency, you will not have much time to decide what to do. Make sure you know what to do ahead of time.
Remember, always close your apartment door and unlock it when leaving during a fire alarm. If the fire is in your suite, smoke from an open door can quickly spread throughout the building.
Become familiar with the fire safety features in your building. Learn where the exit stairways are and practice using them. Familiarize yourself with where the fire alarm manual pull stations are and read the instructions about how to operate them. If your building has a voice communication system, learn how supervisory staff will use it during an emergency. Get a copy of the fire emergency procedures from your building management and read them carefully. They may also be able to provide you with other important information. Keep this material in a prominent place and review it periodically. Contact our Fire / Life Safety Education Division for more information or to ask for a fire safety presentation for all residents.
Remember, if you ever become trapped in your own suite due to smoke or fire in other areas of the building, use your telephone to
call 911 and alert emergency personnel of your location.
Also, please follow these additional safety practices:
- Never park your car in a designated fire route, even for a few minutes. Proper access to your building is critical for firefighting operations.
- Make sure you have a working smoke alarm installed in your suite.
- Keep balconies free of flammable and combustible materials and debris.
- Don’t throw cigarette butts -- or anything else -- from your balcony.
- Don’t store propane, gasoline or other flammable substances in your apartment, on your balcony or in your storage locker.
- If you accidentally set off the fire alarm because you burned some food, or while you were cleaning your smoke alarm, or for some other such mishap, please call 911 and advise us of the situation. This will save us valuable time in getting the alarm system back in working order. You will not be in any trouble for accidentally setting off the alarm.
- Having a barbeque on an apartment balcony may be against the law and you could be fined for having one.
- Please report any damaged fire protection equipment to your building superintendent immediately.
Special needs
If you or a love one has special needs because of age, physical or mental challenges, contact you property management to be identified on a list for the building. The property management will relay this information to the fire personnel responding to an alarm. Update the property management every year to ensure you or a love one’s information is recorded properly.
