Coordinator of Fanshawe College’s Fire Inspection and Fire Safety Education program Frank Donati.
National Home Fire Safety Week is officially underway in Canada.
The Canada Safety Council hope to see an increased awareness in fire prevention and safety through to Friday.
Advice from an expert
Frank Donati has more than 25 years of fire prevention experience and now serves as the coordinator for Fanshawe College’s Fire Inspection and Fire Safety Education program.
For homeowners looking to keep from burning down the house, Donati says these simple household tips may their lives.
“Check your smoke alarms once a month… make sure that the filters in any of your heating systems have been changed or cleaned, so that they’re operating properly,” said Donati.
While the holiday season may not seem synonymous with fire hazards, Donati says there are dangers brought on by the declining temperatures.
“The heating systems are coming on. You’ve got people that are maybe using portable heating devices and putting them too close to combustibles,” said Donati, adding that Christmas lights can have a lethal potential if left unchecked.
The best way to fight against faulty Christmas lights is to use what Donati refers to as “properly listed Christmas lights.”
“[That] means they’ve got a tag on them from a Canadian certification company, like CSA or ULC, that shows you can test it and [that] it will work in Canada,” said Donati.
“There’s a lot of counterfeit and a lot of cheap knockoffs… beware what you buy.”
The Canada Safety Council is also advising homeowners to be cautious in the kitchen, adding that cooking fires were the number one cause of residential fires from 2012 to 2016.
National Home Fire Safety Week runs until Friday, Nov. 30.
LISTEN: Fire prevention expert Frank Donati shares home fire safety tips
