Programs

Alarmed and Ready

Don't have a smoke alarm?
Don't have a battery in your smoke alarm?



Then maybe you should get ...

"Alarmed and Ready" 

Smoke alarms are proven to greatly increase your chance of surviving a fire emergency in your home. The "Alarmed and Ready" program will assist people whom because of age, physical or mental limitations or financial reasons are not able to install or maintain a smoke alarm in their home.

This program is available for owner-occupied single-family homes in Hamilton. If you live in a rental unit (house or apartment), it is the owner's responsibility to install and maintain smoke alarms.

Call 905 546-3382 to participate in this program. Appointments can be made between 8:00am and 8:00pm any day except Sundays and statuatory holidays. Firefighters will come to your home and provide and install the required number of smoke alarms or batteries, free of charge.  

The Ontario Fire Code requires that smoke alarms be installed on every storey of your home. If you live in a rental property and have concerns with smoke alarm operation, maintenance or installation, call the Fire Prevention Division at 905 546-2424 ext. 1380, weekdays between 8:30am and 4:30pm.

Owners will be required to sign a waiver prior to any work being done.

 "Alarmed and Ready" - Union Gas Partnership

Since 2007, Hamilton Emergency Services - Fire has partnered with Union Gas Limited and The Spectra Energy Foundation in support of the "Alarmed and Ready" program.

Union Gas Limited has generously provided grants totalling over $20,000 to the program since that time, which in turn allowed Hamilton Emergency Services - Fire to purchase approximately 2,800 smoke alarms which were provided and installed in the homes of some of our communities most needy and vulnerable families. 

With the assistance of local food banks and other social agencies, clients homes that require these lifesaving devices to be installed are identified and their contact information is forwarded to the Hamilton Emergency Services - Fire.  Installation of smoke alarm(s) and/or batteries are then carried out by firefighters across the City. Clients of the various food banks or social agencies are also encouraged to advise those agencies of their need for smoke alarms and/or batteries, or to contact us directly at 905-546-3382.

For additional information on the Alarmed & Ready Program, please contact Fire Safety Officer Dave Christopher at 905 546-2424 ext. 7765.

V.I.P. Home Inspection Program
     

Hamilton Emergency Services - Fire offer a voluntary  inspection program (V.I.P.) for all single family homes in the City of Hamilton. This home inspection is free of charge and is designed to address all of your home fire safety concerns. 

Call our Inspection Hotline at 905 546-3382 and leave a mesage. Your call will be returned within 24 hours and a convenient inspection time for firefighters to come to your home will be arranged. Appointments can be made between 8:00am and 8:00pm any day except Sundays and statuatory holidays. 

Firefighters will provide you with a Home Fire Safety pamphlet, a medical assistance information form and a carbon monoxide/smoke alarm information sheet. 
 

Children and Fireplay 

Hamilton Arson Prevention Program for Children (HAPP-C program)

Many fires are started every year by young children playing with lighters and matches.

Lighters/Matches are Tools, Not Toys

Children are naturally curious and can suffer severe burns, trauma or even death when playing with lighters or matches. Children as young as 18 months are able to operate lighters. It is a fact that children under the age of five are at serious risk of being killed in a fire…nearly double the average population’s risk level! Older children experiment with fireplay for many different reasons including peer pressure, thrill seeking, and boredom. Fireplay in older children presents additional risks to personal safety and property damage, especially if they begin to experiment with accelerants such as gasoline or other flammable products.

How to Prevent a Tragedy

• Keep matches and lighters, including BBQ lighters out of children’s reach. It is your responsibility as a parent/caregiver.
• Teach children that lighters and matches are tools for adults’ use, not toys for children to play with.
• Supervise child play. Don’t leave children unattended.
• When your child is ready, find safe ways to let your child participate in your careful use of fire. Let them blow out the candles or help gather wood for the campfire. As children grow more mature they can learn how to use lighters and matches safely butonly under adult supervision.
• Be alert to possible signs of fireplay such as small burn marks on clothing, carpeting or furniture, evidence of burned or melted articles throughout the home, especially in children’s bedrooms or basements, missing lighters, and small burns or blisters on children’s fingers or hands.Parents/caregivers of older children should monitor the storage and use of flammable liquids and aerosols in and around the home. Flammable liquids such as paint thinners and gasoline should be locked up in an outdoor shed, where possible.
• The Ontario Fire Code requires an operational smoke alarm to be installed on every storey of your home including outside of all sleeping areas. In addition, a smoke alarm should be installed inside the bedroom of a child who has been known to play with fire.
• It is recommended that you install a carbon monoxide detector near all sleeping areas of your home.

Problem Firesetting

Many children light fires out of curiosity while others use fire in anger or as a cry for help. Still others light vandalism fires under peer pressure. Whatever the reason, any act of firesetting must not be ignored and must be handled appropriately.

Hamilton Emergency Services-Fire offers families help in dealing with child firesetters. If you need assistance, please call:

(905) 546-2424 ext. 7797 or (905) 546-2424 ext. 1380

An education session will be conducted in your home by an experienced member of Hamilton Emergency Services-Fire to help you and your child. Sometimes further help is required by professionals in the Mental Health Services and the Hamilton Emergency Services-Fire can make a referral for you.

Teach all children lighter and match safety. Keep lighters and matches out of sight at all times, even locked up, if necessary.

• Teach and practice home fire safety on a regular basis
• Develop and practice a home fire escape plan
• Install and maintain smoke alarms
• Cool a burn using cold water.

Teach everyone STOP, DROP and ROLL in case of clothing fires. Children who play with fire especially need to know this.

Educating Today For a Fire-Safe Tomorrow

If you have any questions regarding fire safety, contact Hamilton Emergency Services, Fire Prevention Division at (905) 546-2424 ext. 1380, weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

 Arson Prevention

Sale of Matches and Lighters to Children

Some structure fires that have occurred in the City of Hamilton have involved children lighting combustibles with matches or lighters they obtained from local stores.

In an effort to reduce the numbers of arson fires and prevent any further risk to lives and property, we are asking for the assistance of all local vendors throughout the City. We are asking that you voluntarily refuse to sell matches and lighters to anyone under the age of 18 years and that you move any displays of matches and lighters to a secure and inaccessible location. 

Contact the Fire Prevention Division of Hamilton Emergency Services at (905) 546-2424 ext. 1380 and let us know of your intention to participate and we will provide you with a sticker that you can place in your front window. 

Your participation will assist us in making the City of Hamilton a safer place to live and work.

I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency)

Hamilton Emergency Services, Fire and EMS divisions, along with Hamilton Police Services endorse the use of I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency) on your cell phone. This concept is aimed at the general population and is intended to allow Emergency Service Responders the opportunity to provide more efficient support in an emergency circumstance where you are not able to assist yourself by providing information.

By entering the acronym I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency) into a mobile/cell phone address directory/book, users can log the name and number of someone who should be contacted in an emergency. This is a simple way for police, paramedics and fire fighters to retrieve contact information quickly. This will help for next of kin details for hospital staff regarding medical treatment and police officers in investigative purposes.

Be sure that your I.C.E. Partner, has;

• agreed to be an emergency contact
• has a number that is likely to be answered (i.e. a home number may be useless if your I.C.E. Partner works full-time)
• knows about your medical conditions and history. The information they provide to EMS will likely effect your emergency treatment, so keep them current on your known allergies, regular medications and current medical condition

Privacy and Other Concerns

"Could my I.C.E. information be used by someone other than an Emergency Services Worker?"

The I.C.E. information is stored in your cell phone only and is only accessed in the event of an emergency. Anyone who has access to your phone would have access to this information, so remain vigilant at all times with cell phones or ANY device that contains personal information!

"What if my I.C.E. information becomes out of date?"

Timeliness is the main concern with any information source. This system relies on the individual keeping their I.C.E. information up to date, so make sure to update as soon as a change occurs!

Link to Hamilton Police Services press release; ICE_HPS.pdf