Only 31% of Canadians surveyed said they have a home fire escape plan and only 6% had conducted a home fire drill in the past year according to a national poll commissioned by Duracell.

A fire escape plan and home fire drills are critical to home fire safety, says the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), which is partnering with Kidde Canada and Duracell on the Great Canadian Fire Drill campaign to urge Canadians to improve their fire safety.

The campaign is being launched during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 3-9, 2010.

“Knowing exactly what to do in a fire emergency and practicing with members of the household can save a life and Canadians need to be better prepared,” says Bruce Burrell, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC).

Canadians are encouraged to visit the campaign web site www.safeathome.ca/drill to download a free fire escape plan grid and complete a home safety checklist. Families can also register for a personalized “We Did the Drill!” certificate once they have created their fire escape plan and practised a drill at home.

“When a smoke alarm goes off to signal a real, life-threatening emergency, it’s absolutely crucial that everyone knows exactly what to do and where to go,” says Carol Heller, a home safety specialist with Kidde Canada. “Industry research shows that home occupants have less than three minutes to escape during a fire, so people need to realize what a slim margin there is between a safe escape and a potential tragedy.”

One major element of home fire escape planning is ensuring that batteries in home smoke alarms are changed at least once a year and that smoke alarms are tested monthly and replaced every 10 years.

“Having fresh batteries in home smoke alarms, and replacing older alarms, creates a strong first line of defence in preparing for a real fire emergency,” adds Victoria Maybee, P&G External Relations.

Through the Great Canadian Fire Drill campaign, an estimated 70,000 Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers nationwide will receive special lesson plans and classroom materials to help them teach young students the important task of creating a fire escape plan.  Students will then put their new knowledge to work with their siblings and parents to create and practice a fire escape plan at home.

“Fire safety needs to involve every member of the household,” added Burrell.  “To start good safety habits at an early age, fire departments and teachers across Canada will work together to educate our kids about fire and the importance of having an escape plan for their home.”

Parents, teachers and fire service professionals can access lesson plans, fire escape plan grids, activities for children, and home fire safety information online at www.safeathome.ca/drill or at www.duracellfiresafety.com.

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The eighth annual Duracell Fire Safety Survey was conducted by Angus Reid Strategies on July 16, 2009 with a randomly selected, representative sample of 1,007 adult Canadians who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results of this online survey have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.