Tenant Safety and Security

My Apartment Security Tips how to be safer in your home.

Fire Safety for Apartments in Houses Information for tenants and home owners from, The Office of the Fire Marshal, Ontario

Fire Safety Information, from the Fire Marshall's Public Fire Safety Council

Consider that some of the leading causes of apartment fires are:

Cigarettes! Don't smoke if you are in bed, or if you are likely to fall asleep on a couch.
Candles! They are particularly dangerous around children, pets such as cats, if left on an uneven surface or near draperies and upholstered furniture.
Cooking fires. Don't leave your cooking unattended. If the contents of a pot or skillet are on fire, first try to smother it with a metal fitting lid.
Baseboard heaters. Make sure that they are not close to furniture, draperies, or that other flamable items could fall to rest on them such as newspapers. Check the wall outlet to make sure it is not overheating when the heater is on.
Lamps using quartz halogen bulbs. These bulbs produce pure intense light due to running hotter than normal incandescent lamps. Ensure that nothing touches the bulb when in operation. Make sure nothing is ever placed on the light and that draperies will not flow onto the lamp with a breeze, especially with upward facing lamps.

Window Safety all about window screens and sliding window blocks.

Safe Kids Canada, Hospital for Sick Kids all about injury prevention everywhere and poison prevention.

Kid Safety from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

For health issues such as: lead paint, pesticides, and toxic mould, please visit my Tenant Health page

A few quick safety tips:

Pull electrical plugs out of the wall socket only by the plug and never by the cord !
Make sure cords are in good condition, that they are not frayed or cracked.
Cords should not have any furniture resting on them.
If you need an extension cord for an air conditioner, use one meant exclusively for air conditioners and only one. Check to make sure that neither end of the extension cord and where it is plugs into the wall socket are not overheating when the air conditioner is in operation.
If an outlet has loose-fitting plugs, contact the landlord/superintendent to have it replaced. Badly contacting outlets can overheat leading to fires.
Have any broken wall plates replaced.
Never cut off the third (safety/ground connection) off of electrical cords. That third prong is to protect YOU if the outlets are properly grounded.

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