• Install smoke alarms and test and clean them regularly.
• Sleep with bedroom doors closed.
• When the smoke alarm sounds, crawl to the door.
• If there is heat or smoke at the door, crawl to a second exit.
• Get out! Go to a planned meeting place.
• Stay out! Call the fire department

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District’s Volunteer Fire Departments would like to remind area residents of some important facts.

• The fire department will do its utmost to reach you during an emergency with its firefighting equipment, but the responsibility to keep driveways accessible is yours. PLEASE keep your driveways clear of snow and obstructions so that emergency vehicles can reach your home.
• All homes within the Columbia Shuswap Regional District should have a house number. Emergency vehicles depend on those numbers for reference during a response. PLEASE place your house number in a way that they are most visible to approaching vehicles. Use large fluorescent numbers and mount them high enough so they cannot be covered by snow or brush. If you are unsure of your house number or an official number has not been assigned to your home, PLEASE contact the Columbia Shuswap Regional District toll-free at 1-888-248-2773.
• Chimney fires are still the most common of fire calls. PLEASE ensure that your fuel is dry and your chimney is cleaned regularly, especially if wood is your primary heating fuel.
• If a fire starts in your home, remember to call 9-1-1 immediately. Lost time can result in the fire department’s inability to save a burning structure.