Happy New Year, Vaughan!
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Practise fire safety when ringing in 2021 at home
The countdown to the new year is on, which means you may be enjoying festivities and celebrating with loved ones living in your household to mark the occasion. The City of Vaughan is reminding residents to keep fire safety top of mind this evening.
The countdown to the new year is on, which means you may be enjoying festivities and celebrating with loved ones living in your household to mark the occasion. The City of Vaughan is reminding residents to keep fire safety top of mind this evening.
To ensure your New Year’s Eve is fire free, follow these safety tips from Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service:
- Stay in the kitchen when cooking. Turn off the stove if you must step away.
- Choose safer alternatives like battery-operated candles, flashlights and glow sticks instead of traditional candles as decorations. If you must use candles, never leave them unattended and keep them well away from children, pets and anything that can burn.
- Remember to keep exits clear of decorations to ensure nothing blocks your escape routes in an event of a fire.
- Make sure children know to “stop, drop and roll” if their clothing does catch fire – stop immediately, drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands and roll over and over to extinguish flames.
- Remember extension cords are for temporary use only. Use the right one for the job – there are special extension cords for outdoor use.
- Never overload electrical outlets by plugging in too many plugs – use an approved power bar.
- Check the wires of lights for any frays and keep them away from pets.
- Test your smoke alarms to make sure they work, and ensure the batteries are new.
Remember, fireworks are not permitted. The City of Vaughan’s fireworks by-law (PDF) allows consumer fireworks – family fireworks set off in a private, at-home display – to be lit without a permit on Canada Day and Victoria Day only. For more information on fire safety tips, visit vaughan.ca/fire.
To receive the City’s latest updates as they happen, sign up for the City Update eNewsletter at vaughan.ca/CityUpdate and follow the City’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels.
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