Depending on what part of Canada you live in, a cottage can be called other names such as a cabin or camp. Some people refer to it as their seasonal home in the summer.
What name you use doesn’t really matter. However, practising fire safety does matter—and in most cases it can mean the difference between life and death!
A few years ago, I had a conversion with a firefighter from another community who responded to a late-night cottage (cabin) fire on an island.

On March 4, the fatal fire problem in Canada was aired on CBC’s The National, which reported on the lack of working smoke alarms in homes across our country.
The next day, the Fire Marshal of Ontario appeared on CBC television to share some valuable fire safety tips on working smoke alarms.
The reason for his appearance was to address the serious fire safety problem that plaques many communities in Ontario and the rest of Canada.
Most recently, there has been a rash of fatal fires across Canada, as well as many fire injuries.

The Christmas holiday season typically is one of the most dangerous times of the years.
Most recently, there has been a rash of fires across Canada, including the district in which I live in.
One recent home fire could have been deadly. Thankfully, the occupant of the home escaped with just the clothes they had on into the chilling cold of the night.
One thing that many firefighters across Canada fear is when the alarm at the fire station or the one on their pagers sounds during the Christmas season, especially during the late night or early hours of the morning.

Firefighters in Canada may be full-time or volunteer. They may be your neighbour, and live just down the block or road from you.
You may personally know firefighters, and some may be friends or relatives of yours.
My wife has two cousins who are career firefighters. One is a firefighter with the City of Vancouver and the other is with the City of Surrey.
Being a volunteer firefighter myself since the 1980s, I’ve had the honour of meeting many firefighters from across Canada and the United States.

A few years ago, a participant in one of the safety training sessions that I was leading told me this story.
Their smoke alarms went off due to some burnt food. Their children yelled, “Fire, fire, fire, get out of the house!”
After dealing with the situation, they went to tell their children it was okay. At first, they couldn’t find them. Then they looked outside at the family’s fire escape plan meeting spot.
All their children were standing there waiting!
Many families in Canada do not have a home escape plan. Those who said they had a plan never rehearsed it.

September is upon us and school has started. Many young people are attending college and university—many for the very first time.
Thousands of students across Canada also are living away from home.
Safety is a concern for many parents/caregivers, and every student should know basic fire and life safety information, as well as practice safety.

There has been a rash of fires in Canada. Recently, a child lost his life in an apartment fire in Montreal.

Sometime ago, a man came home from fishing all day. When he arrived home, it was late in the evening.
He unloaded his fishing gear and went into the house. No one else was home.

Once upon a time, there was an employee who worked at a well-established company, which was known throughout the industry. The employee had worked very hard throughout his career with the company.

Is your child safe staying overnight at a friend’s home? I would like to share with you a sleepover checklist the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offers for free on its website.