Disclaimer

1. General educational purpose

Everything Ofor publishes or teaches is general educational information prepared for a broad household audience. It cannot account for the construction, age, condition, occupancy or location of your particular home.

Use it as a starting point for your own decisions, and confirm anything that matters with a qualified professional or your local authority.

2. Not professional advice

Our material is not, and must not be relied upon as, legal, medical, engineering, architectural, electrical, insurance or fire protection advice. No relationship of professional adviser and client is created by reading this website or attending a session.

Where a question requires a professional judgement about your property, engage a qualified professional who can inspect it in person.

3. Codes, by-laws and standards

Building, fire and electrical requirements differ between provinces, territories and municipalities, and they change. Where we describe a requirement, we name the jurisdiction it applies to and the date of the version we consulted.

That description is a summary and is not authoritative. The authority having jurisdiction — usually your municipal building department or fire prevention office — is the only source that governs your property.

4. First aid content

Our first aid program and related materials are awareness-level education. They do not certify competence, do not satisfy workplace first aid requirements, and are not a substitute for hands-on training delivered by an accredited provider.

Nothing we publish should be used to diagnose or treat a medical condition. Where a situation may be a medical emergency, call 911 and follow the dispatcher’s instructions.

5. Emergency services

Ofor does not respond to emergencies, does not monitor alarms, and cannot be contacted for urgent assistance. Our office is staffed only during business hours and our enquiry form is not monitored outside them.

For fire, a medical emergency, a gas smell or a sounding carbon monoxide alarm: leave the building and call 911 from outside.

6. Products and services

We do not sell, install, inspect, test or endorse any product, brand, contractor or service, and we accept no funding from manufacturers, retailers, contractors or insurers.

Where a category of equipment is described, follow the manufacturer’s installation and maintenance instructions, which take precedence over any general guidance we provide.

7. Insurance

Nothing we publish should be read as advice about coverage, claims or policy wording. Completing a checklist, attending a session or keeping a household inventory does not guarantee that a claim will be accepted or that a premium will change.

Speak to your insurer or a licensed broker about your own policy.

8. Accuracy and currency

Materials are reviewed annually and carry a revision date. Between reviews, guidance can change. We correct errors as soon as they are brought to our attention and note substantive corrections on the page.

If you are holding a printed copy, check the revision date against the version in our resource library before relying on it.

9. External links

Links to municipal services, public health authorities and standards organisations are provided for convenience. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content or availability, and a link is never an endorsement of a commercial product or service.

10. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Ofor accepts no liability for loss or damage arising from reliance on its educational materials or from any action taken or not taken on the basis of them.

This does not limit liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded. See section 10 of our terms and conditions.

Questions about this document

Write to Ofor, 220 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 640, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5Z9, telephone (613) 555-0184, or email info@ofor.info. We answer written enquiries within two business days and formal requests within the timelines set out above.