Free resources for teachers, parents and public educators.

Calling all teachers, parents, and public educators! The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) and Ontario's Ministry of Education are proud to bring Test Your Smoke Alarm Day and the “Saved By The Beep” campaign into your classroom!

This province-wide fire safety campaign was established in 2023 and takes place every September 28 in Ontario. The campaign highlights the importance of working smoke alarms. The campaign will visit schools, communities, and public venues across Ontario with the goal of helping families understand how and why smoke alarms save lives.

Campaign objectives:

To teach children the importance of having working smoke alarms at home, and to empower them to become fire safety ambassadors in their families. Students will learn:

• Where smoke alarms should be placed in their homes.
• Why it is important to test them monthly.
• What to do when the smoke alarm sounds.
• How they can help their families stay safe from fire.

Top smoke alarm/fire safety tips to share with students

• Install smoke alarms on every storey of your home and outside all sleeping areas.
• A smoke alarm will let you know if there is a fire in your home.
• Test smoke alarms once a month by pressing the test button.
• Replace batteries at least once a year, or as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Replace smoke alarms every 10 years, or earlier if they stop working properly.
• Make and practice a home fire escape plan with your family - know two ways out of every room, if possible.
• A smoke alarm will make a loud "beep, beep, beep (pause), beep, beep, beep (pause)" sound if there is smoke.
• Never remove the batteries from your smoke alarm to stop in from beeping.
• Know the different beeping sounds: a chirp, for example, means your battery needs to be changed.
• If the smoke alarm sounds, everyone should get outside. Stay outside until a grown-up says it is safe to go back inside.

Resources

As part of this initiative, educators are encouraged to engage students in age-appropriate learning about fire safety and smoke alarms through discussion, interactive activities, and at-home extensions for parents. As part of your free, downloadable kit - you will receive:

• Lesson plans for both primary and junior grade levels
• Resources and activities for parents to complete with their children, including a home fire safety checklist
• Smoke alarm safety activity sheets, including a "Beepa-themed" colouring sheet and home fire escape grid

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Partnership with TVOKids and Science North

We've also partnered with TVOKids and TVOKids host Gabrielle to bring supplemental fire safety-themed educational videos to your classroom, along with a full weekend of fire safety through science with Science North! Videos and multimedia content from both these events will be available and shared on this page in the coming months.

Your local fire department is also a fantastic resource for any kind of fire education for your classroom. Reach out today to organize for a  member of the fire department to visit your classroom to talk about fire safety this school year.

By participating in this campaign, you are helping your students become proactive members of their communities when it comes to fire safety. For more resources, downloadable worksheets, posters, and videos, check out our resources page.

Let’s all remember: Working smoke alarms are the only way you will be alerted to a fire in your home. You could be saved by the beep!

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Want more Beepa?

Our education kits contain everything you need to teach the ins and outs of smoke alarm safety...but sometimes you might want to go the extra mile. Our partners at the Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council have "Classroom Kits" available for purchase - including your very own Beepa plush toy for classrooms!