Reporting a Fire
You may make the difference in saving a life, preventing burn injuries, or limiting property damage by reporting a fire. Here are some guidelines in reporting a fire situation.
Fire Alarm System – Building Monitored
In a building where the fire alarm system is being monitored, the monitoring company will contact the Fire Division to advise of a fire alarm activation. This will promote rapid response to the building in question. If you have information on the fire (or false alarm) please call the emergency # (9-1-1 or 873-2222) and advise the dispatcher, who will in turn update the responding crew. The more they know prior to arrival, the quicker the crews will be to deal with the incident.
Fire Alarm System – Building Not Monitored (Local Alarm Only sign will be above or below the pull stations)
If the fire alarm has been activated in a building where the system is not monitored, please leave the building and call the emergency # (9-1-1 or 873-2222) giving the dispatcher the name and address of the building and advise of alarm activation. Pass on any information you may have - the cause of the activation, location of the fire in the building (if you know).
It is important to note that individual suites in apartment buildings and condos are not connected to the fire alarm system. If you smell or see smoke coming from someone’s suite or hear their smoke alarm sound, knock on their door to ensure they are OK. If there is no incident (smoke alarm set off by cooking), no need to contact the emergency #. If they don’t respond, activate the pull station, go to your meeting place outside, and call the emergency # (9-1-1 or 873-2222) and advise the building name, address, and suite # that the smoke is coming from.
No Fire Alarm System
If you are in a building with no fire alarm system (small office buildings, homes, etc.) and you see smoke or fire, get everyone out of the building and call the emergency # (9-1-1 or 873-2222) giving the dispatcher the name and address of the building. Pass on any information you may have regarding the location of the fire within the building and the cause. (If it is a very small fire, and you are trained in using a fire extinguisher, make sure everyone is out of the house before attempting to extinguish the fire – ensure you call the emergency # before attempting to extinguish.)
Alarms Ringing
If you are walking by a building and you hear alarms ringing coming from the building, call the emergency # (9-1-1 or 873-2222), giving the name and address of the building. The dispatcher may request that you wait for the responding crew to arrive.
Fire on the Exterior of a Building
If you believe there to be a fire on the exterior of a building, check to see if the fire appears to be growing, and the colour of the smoke turns from light to dark grey and appears to be growing in volume. If this is the case, call the emergency # (9-1-1 or 873-2222) giving the dispatcher the name and address of the building.
Note: In -30°c to -40°c temperatures, building and vehicle exhaust turns into ice fog. When this fog floats in front of various light features, it can give the appearance of fire and smoke.
Wildland Fires
The Fire Division will respond to wildland fires within the City’s boundaries, and will respond to structure fires outside of these boundaries. When calling the emergency # (9-1-1 or 873-2222) to report a wildland fire, please provide the exact location of the fire and as many details as possible (size of the fire, any exposures – i.e. property at risk); stay on site to show the fire crew the location.
You, as a resident of Yellowknife, are the eyes and ears of the Fire Division. Everyone benefits with early detection, early arrival of the Fire Division, and early intervention.