TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2003 – Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) wants Canadians to use the extra hour they’ll have when the time changes this weekend to think about home safety.
“When you wake up Sunday morning, you’ll have an extra hour, so why not take some of that time to make sure your family is protected? When you tour your home to reset the clocks, check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors at the same time,” says Mary Lou O’Reilly, IBC’s Vice President of Public Affairs and Marketing.
O’Reilly says the extra time can also be used to check that flashlights and fire extinguishers are in working order, to move fire hazards like candles and heaters out of harm’s way, and to go over emergency procedures with your family. “It’s amazing how little time it takes to make sure your family is safe from fire, and it’s even more amazing how much time this will save you when it counts,” she notes.
These are the keys to protecting your family from fire:
- Prevention – Don’t leave matches or lighters within reach of children, don’t leave heaters or cooking implements on unsupervised.
- Detection – Check that you have enough smoke and carbon monoxide detectors (at least one on every level), and that they are distributed so as to protect all inhabitants of the home (near sleeping areas). Make sure they are in working order, and replace the batteries if they are older than six months.
- Escape – Ensure all members of the family know what to do if they hear an alarm. This includes knowing the fastest way out of the home, and who will assist children and seniors.
“You won’t have much time if fire occurs, so take some time now,” urges O’Reilly. “We change our clocks twice a year, so that can serve as a reminder. When you change the time, take some time to protect yourself and your family.”
For more tips on how to reduce the threat of fire in your home, visit Insurance Bureau of Canada’s web site at
www.ibc.ca.
Insurance Bureau of Canada is the national trade association of the private property and casualty insurance industry. It represents more than 90% of the non-government home, car and business insurance in Canada.
