Forest Fires

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Be Fire Smart

• FireSmart Canada provides valuable resources on reducing the risk of fire by creating a safety zone around your home. Their Home Ignition Guide is a great tool to consider making changes to make your home less susceptible to fire risk. 
  • Immediate Zone (0m to 1.5m): Choose non-combustible building materials, clear vegetation and combustible material, and avoid planting woody shrubs or trees in this zone. 
  • Intermediate Zone (1.5m to 10m): Plant fire-resistant vegetation, avoid woody debris such as mulch, keep combustible items like firewood piles out of this zone. 
  • Extended Zone (10m to 30m): Trim trees and branches, clean up fallen branches, dry gas and needles to eliminate potential surface fuels for fires.
  • Download a printable Home Ignition Guide

Dispose of your fire fuels responsibly

• Each spring, grass fires get out of control and cause needless damage to barns, homes, and cottages. It is important to dispose of these fire fuels responsibly.
  • If you have grass, brush, or other wood debris, utilize the County of Simcoe's Leaf and Yard Waste pickups or use a backyard composter that is positioned away from your home/cottage and outbuildings like sheds. 

Fireworks

• Have a plan for fireworks. If you are planning to have fireworks, remember that the Township of Tiny's Fireworks By-law only permits fireworks to be set off on Victoria Day, Canada Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day between dusk and 11:00 p.m. 
  • Ensure you have adequate tools to handle the fireworks and any lingering embers such as metal tools like shovels, sand, and water. In an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Can we find you in an emergency?

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• Ensure that your property address is clearly displayed from the road and can also be read at night. Every second counts in an emergency, and it is important that emergency services personnel can clearly find your address and your driveway. 
• If your property address sign has been damaged, you can contact the Public Works Department to purchase a new sign by calling 705-526-4204. 

Practice your escape plan 

• Make an escape plan and practice escaping your home with the whole family. Teach all household members the technique of "stop, drop, roll" in case clothes catch on fire. 
• Plan several escape routes away from your home by car and by foot. 
• Maintain your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms so that you are alerted to any concerns.

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If you are instructed by emergency officials to evacuate, do so immediately.

If you're indoors:

• move away from outside walls
• close doors but leave them unlocked
• close windows, vents and blinds
• remove lightweight curtains
• open the fireplace damper and close fireplace screens
• turn a light on in each room to make your home easier to see in heavy smoke
• Turn off air conditioners.
• Have a flashlight, extra batteries and a battery-powered radio close at hand in case the power goes out.
• Keep all family members and pets together.

If you're outdoors:

• Don’t try to outrun the fire — find a pond or river to crouch in.
• If you’re not near water, go to a lower level clearing.
• If you’re near a road, lie face down along the road cut or in the ditch. Cover yourself with soil or anything else that will shield you from the fire’s heat.
• Protect your lungs by breathing air closest to the ground through a moist cloth to avoid inhaling smoke.

If you're told to leave your home:

• Choose a route away from fire hazards – and listen to radio or TV.
• Watch for changes in speed and direction of fire and smoke.
• Wear long sleeve/pantleg clothing and closed-toe footwear that can protect you against flying sparks and ashes.
• Take your pets with you.
• Bring your 72-hour emergency kit.
• If there is time before you leave:
  • Pack as you would for a week’s vacation, including clothes, cash, medications, etc.
  • Move flammable materials away from your home.
  • Turn on sprinklers to wet the lawn.
  • Turn off the gas line to your home.
• Tell someone when you leave and where you are going.

If your home catches on fire: 

• Get everyone out of your home immediately if you smell smoke or see a fire.
• Alert others in your home.
• Meet with family members of your home at the meeting place you chose when developing your fire escape plan.
• Do not go back into the building for any reason.
• Stop, drop and roll if your clothing catches fire - do not run.
• Phone 9-1-1 from a safe phone outside your home.
• Inform emergency crews of any missing persons or pets and any other risks such as combustible and hazardous materials that may be in your home.

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Follow the instructions of the authorities.

• Listen to directions such as evacuation orders or shelter in place directives. 
• Follow the township on Tiny Connect and on social media (Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter)). 
  • Visit the newsroom to read the latest news releases from the township. 

Evacuated? Wait for the "all-clear" from safety officials

• If you were evacuated due to the forest fire, wait for authorities to provide guidance on whether an area is safe to return to. Although an area may have been extinguished, firefighters and safety personnel may be monitoring for hot spots that can reignite. Re-entering a space that has not been deemed safe can put you and your loved ones at risk. 
• Do not go into areas affected by the fire. There may be structural damage that may or may not be visible.
• Be aware that debris can present hazards – tripping, puncture wounds, collapsing structures, etc.
• Watch for sharp objects like nails and glass.
• Watch out for downed power lines or ruptured gas lines. If you smell natural gas, get away from the source and notify authorities of a gas leak.