Home Safety Systems
The quiet equipment that protects your family: smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, GFCI and AFCI protection, the electrical panel, the dryer vent, the range hood and fire extinguishers. Most of it needs only a few minutes a month, and this page says which parts are jobs for a licensed electrician.
On this page
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Working alarms give you the minutes you need to get out. Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services and Health Canada give this advice:
| Smoke alarms | Carbon monoxide (CO) alarms | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | In every bedroom, outside sleeping areas and on every level of the home. | Near sleeping areas, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Health Canada says ideally in a hallway outside the bedrooms. |
| Test | Press the test button monthly. | Test often. The City suggests monthly, like smoke alarms. |
| Batteries | Replace as needed. The City suggests at least once a year. | As the manufacturer advises. Health Canada recommends at least one CO alarm with battery backup. |
| Replace the alarm | Every 10 years, or sooner if the manufacturer says so. | As the manufacturer advises. Health Canada says to check the expiry date, and to write the installation date on the alarm. |
- Never disable an alarm. The City says never to turn off or remove a smoke alarm. Don’t take out the battery because it goes off when you cook.
- Look for the Canadian certification mark. Health Canada says to buy only CO alarms with a Canadian certification mark on both the device and the package.
- Intermittent beeping usually means a battery needs replacing, the City notes.
If the CO alarm sounds, get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911 from outside, as Health Canada and the City advise. Don’t stop to look for the source. Don’t go back in until a professional says it’s safe. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are on our power outages page.
What it means for you: if you can’t safely reach a ceiling alarm, Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services takes requests for free smoke alarm checks through its safety education and fire prevention page, although crews may not be able to visit every home. Ask on behalf of an older relative or neighbour, too.
A home escape plan
An alarm only helps if everyone knows what to do next. The City of Lethbridge’s fire prevention advice:
- Know two ways out of each room, and keep exits clear.
- Choose a safe meeting place outside, such as a neighbour’s driveway or a particular tree.
- Plan how anyone who needs help will get out, such as a young child, an older adult or someone with a disability.
- Practise the plan with everyone in your home at least twice a year.
- In an apartment or condo, know your building’s fire safety plan.
Add your meeting place to your family emergency plan.
A smoke alarm has a tiny sensor that notices smoke in the air long before people can smell it, especially when they’re asleep. Its loud beep is a signal: get out and stay out.
Wonder: if your bedroom door was blocked, what’s your second way out?
Try this: with a grown-up, draw a map of your home. Mark two ways out of every room in different colours, and draw your family’s outside meeting place. Then hold a practice drill. How quickly can everyone get to the meeting place? Try it again from a different room.
GFCI and AFCI protection
GFCI: protection from shocks
A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) cuts the power in a fraction of a second if electricity starts flowing where it shouldn’t, such as through a person standing near water. You’ll recognize GFCI outlets by their “Test” and “Reset” buttons. The City of Calgary’s homeowner wiring guide, based on the Canadian Electrical Code, says outlets within 1.5 m of a sink, bathtub or shower must be GFCI protected, and so must outdoor outlets within 2.5 m of the ground.
- Test monthly. CMHC’s schedule says to test GFCI outlets each month by pressing the test button. The reset button should pop out. Press it back in to restore power.
- If it won’t reset, or doesn’t trip when you press Test, it isn’t protecting you. Have an electrician check it.
- One GFCI may protect several outlets. If a bathroom or outdoor outlet is dead, look for a tripped GFCI elsewhere on the circuit, such as in another bathroom or the garage.
AFCI: protection from electrical fires
An arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) watches for the small electrical sparks (arcs) that happen when wiring is damaged, a cord is crushed or a connection is loose, and shuts the circuit off before they can start a fire. Many AFCIs are breakers in the panel with their own test button. Calgary’s guide says that under the current code, most branch circuits feeding ordinary outlets in a home must have combination AFCI protection, with a few exceptions such as kitchen counter outlets. Older homes may not have them.
If your panel has AFCI breakers, test them as the manufacturer’s instructions say. If one trips again and again, don’t keep resetting it; something on that circuit needs an electrician’s attention.
The electrical panel
The panel is where the power comes into the house and splits into circuits, each with its own breaker. Your job is to know where it is, keep it clear and keep it labelled. Everything inside it is a job for a licensed electrician.
Label it
A clearly labelled panel lets you shut off the right circuit in an emergency, and saves an electrician time (and you money). Calgary’s wiring guide makes a complete, correct breaker directory a requirement for passing inspection on new work. If your labels are missing or out of date:
- Work with a helper and a phone or walkie-talkie.
- Switch off one breaker at a time, and have your helper note which lights and outlets go dead. A plug-in night light makes outlets easy to check. Tell everyone in the house first, skip any circuit that powers medical equipment, and turn each breaker back on as soon as you’ve noted it, because some feed the furnace, freezer, sump pump or hard-wired smoke alarms.
- Write the result clearly on the panel directory, room by room.
- Leave the panel cover on. You only need to touch the breaker handles. If the cover is missing, loose or damaged, call an electrician.
Permits and licensed electricians
The City of Lethbridge says an electrical permit is needed for new wiring, wiring in garages, sheds, additions or basements, adding or moving outlets, lights or switches, electric heating, EV chargers and hot tubs, and upgrading panels or electrical services. Permits are generally taken out by a licensed electrical contractor. A homeowner can get one only if they own and live in the home and have the knowledge to do the work safely, and the main house service is limited to licensed contractors or homeowners who hold an electrical journeyperson certificate.
Call an electrician for a breaker that keeps tripping, an outlet or switch that feels warm, a burning smell or sparks. CMHC’s winter checklist adds checking electrical cords, plugs and seasonal lights, and replacing any that are worn or feel warm. For space heaters, see space heaters, safely. NRCan warns that insulation must never touch old knob-and-tube wiring, which can be a fire hazard.
After a flood: the Government of Alberta says not to shut off electricity if any water is present, and not to touch the panel or use any appliances until a qualified electrician has cleaned, dried and inspected everything.
Dryer vents
Lint builds up in the dryer, its duct and the outside vent, and a clogged dryer is a fire risk. The Montreal fire department (Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal) gives this advice:
- Clean the lint filter before and after each use, and remove lint around the filter opening.
- Vacuum the vent regularly to stop lint building up.
- Use a metal duct, as short and straight as possible, with no more than four elbows.
- Check the outside vent often for lint, snow or ice, and make sure its flap opens when the dryer runs.
- Turn the dryer off when you leave home or go to bed.
CMHC’s summer checklist says to disconnect the dryer duct and vacuum lint from it, from the area around the dryer and from the outside vent hood. In Lethbridge winters, add the dryer vent to the list of vents you clear after a snowfall. If your duct runs a long way through walls or ceilings, or you have a gas dryer, have a qualified technician clean and check it.
The range hood and kitchen fires
The range hood
- Clean the filter monthly. CMHC says to check and clean range hood filters every month. Follow the manual for how to remove and wash it.
- Make sure it vents outside. CMHC’s fall list says to check that the range hood and bathroom fans vent properly. CMHC’s moisture guide recommends a kitchen exhaust fan vented to the outdoors, and using it when cooking on a gas stove.
Kitchen fires
Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services says:
- Stay in the kitchen while you’re cooking, and turn the burner off if you leave the kitchen.
- Keep towels, packaging and other items away from the stove.
- Keep a lid nearby whenever you cook, and keep the stovetop, burners and oven clean so built-up grease can’t catch fire.
- If a small grease fire starts in a pan, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the heat. A fire extinguisher or fire blanket can also smother it. Never use water on a grease fire; it can spread the flames.
Fire extinguishers
A fire extinguisher is for a small fire, used by someone who knows how. Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services recommends a multipurpose ABC extinguisher for the home.
Where to keep it
Somewhere easy to see and reach, ideally near an exit and at least 3 m (10 ft) from where a fire might start, such as the stove. Not in a closet or under the sink.
When to use it, and when to leave
Only try to put out a fire if all of these are true: everyone is out or leaving, someone has called 911, the fire is small and not spreading, the smoke and heat aren’t dangerous, the extinguisher is the right type, and you know how to use it. Always keep your back to a clear exit. If any of those isn’t true, get out and call 911.
How to use it: PASS
- Pull the locking pin.
- Aim at the base of the fire, from a safe distance.
- Squeeze the handle.
- Sweep the nozzle from side to side across the base of the fire. Watch in case it flares up again.
Looking after it
Mississauga Fire says to check the extinguisher monthly for damage and to make sure it’s fully charged. CMHC’s winter checklist includes checking the pressure gauge. After any use, even a short one, have it serviced or replaced.
Your emergency shut-offs
Every adult in the house should know where the main water shut-off, the gas meter and the electrical panel are, and what to do if you smell gas. The details, including ATCO’s steps if you smell gas, are on the Home Maintenance hub. For the main water valve, see Water and plumbing.
The monthly safety check
Pick a day, such as the first of the month, and do these together. It takes about 15 minutes.
- ☐ Press the test button on every smoke alarm
- ☐ Test every CO alarm
- ☐ Test every GFCI outlet (Test, then Reset)
- ☐ Clean the range hood filter
- ☐ Check the fire extinguisher for damage and a full charge
- ☐ Check the dryer’s outside vent flap (after every snowfall in winter)
- ☐ Look for warm or damaged cords, plugs and outlets
The full seasonal list is on the printable year-round checklist.
Sources
- City of Lethbridge, Safety education and fire prevention (smoke and CO alarms; escape plans; free smoke alarm checks): lethbridge.ca
- City of Lethbridge, Check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms as clocks spring forward (test monthly; batteries yearly): lethbridge.ca
- Health Canada, Carbon monoxide: preventing exposure (placement; battery backup; expiry; certification mark; if the alarm sounds; modified 2024-11-12): canada.ca
- My Lethbridge Now, LFES offers kitchen fire safety reminders (March 6, 2025): mylethbridgenow.com
- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, About Your House: Home Maintenance Schedule (GFCI monthly; range hood monthly; dryer duct; cords; extinguisher gauge): assets.cmhc-schl.gc.ca
- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Moisture and Air (kitchen exhaust fan vented outdoors), copy hosted by the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation: intactcentreclimateadaptation.ca
- City of Calgary, Homeowners Electrical Wiring Guide (2024 Canadian Electrical Code amendments; updated September 2026) (GFCI within 1.5 m of water; AFCI on most branch circuits; breaker directory): calgary.ca
- City of Lethbridge, Electrical permits: lethbridge.ca
- Government of Alberta, Floods (electricity and water; electrician inspection): alberta.ca
- Natural Resources Canada, Keeping the Heat In (2017) (knob-and-tube wiring): natural-resources.canada.ca
- Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal, Household dryers: safety tips: sim.montreal.ca
- Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, ABC fire extinguisher brochure (type; placement; when to use; PASS; monthly check): mississauga.ca