Oak Bay Fire Department 
1703 Monterey Avenue, Oak Bay B.C. V8R 5V6 (250) 592-9121
Email:  obfire@oakbay.ca       Fax:  (250) 598-2749

News Release

Date: September 26, 2016                                                        OBFD file # 2016-25

For Immediate Release:

Weekly Media Release for the period of Monday, September 19, 2016 to Sunday, September 25, 2016.  Over the past week, Oak Bay Fire Department members responded to 30 calls for assistance.

These calls for assistance included:

  15 – Medical Aid. 
  10 – Residential / Commercial Alarm Bells. 
    3 – Public Assistance. 
    1 – Motor Vehicle Incident 
    1 –   Residential Electrical Problem

Heating safety tips

With colder weather approaching the Oak Bay Fire Department urges all homeowners to have their heating equipment serviced by qualified technicians to ensure their safe operation during the colder months.

Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths. Half of home heating equipment fires are reported during the months of December, January, and February. Some simple steps can prevent most heating-related fires from happening.

• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
• Test smoke alarms and CO alarms at least once a month.

For more information please contact the Fire Prevention Division of the Oak Bay Fire Department. 250-592-9121.