Home FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions we receive most often about workshops, materials, accessibility and the organisation itself. If yours is not here, please write to us.
Section 1
Workshops and registration
Community workshops delivered in public libraries, recreation centres and community halls are free to attend. They are funded through municipal partnerships, foundation grants and individual donations.
Sessions requested by a private organisation are quoted on a cost-recovery basis, and we will always confirm the full cost in writing before you commit to a date.
Scheduled sessions are listed with the host venue, usually the library branch or community centre where the session takes place, and registration is handled there.
If you would rather not search, email us with your postal code and we will reply with the next three sessions within reasonable travelling distance.
Yes. Participants under sixteen are welcome when accompanied by an adult, and children often ask the most useful questions during the escape planning section.
We do not provide childcare, and the material is written for adults, so the sessions work best for children roughly ten and older.
We cancel only for severe weather or a venue closure. Registered participants are contacted by email and, where we have a number, by phone, at least three hours before the start time.
Cancelled sessions are rescheduled within four weeks and registered participants are offered the new date first.
Section 2
Programs and content
No. It is awareness-level education covering recognition, calling for help and household kit contents. It does not lead to a certificate and does not meet workplace first aid requirements.
If you need certification, tell us and we will name accredited providers in your area. We do not receive any payment for those referrals.
Most households benefit most from emergency planning first, because it produces the written plan that the other programs then build on.
If you have a specific concern — an older heating system, a basement that has taken water, a family member with a medical condition — start with the program that addresses it directly.
Yes. We maintain an adapted version of each program for multi-unit residential buildings, covering in-suite alarms, shared corridors, balconies, building fire safety plans and how evacuation instructions differ from a single-family home.
Tell us the building type when you book so the correct materials are printed.
Every program and document is reviewed annually against current national and provincial guidance, and revision dates are printed on each page so you can see how old the copy in your hand is.
Where a requirement is specific to a province or municipality, we say so rather than presenting it as a national rule.
Section 3
Materials and copyright
Yes for non-commercial use. Households, schools, libraries and community groups may print and distribute our checklists and templates provided the Ofor attribution line and the revision date remain on the page.
Commercial reproduction, resale or inclusion in paid training requires written permission. Requests are usually answered within five business days.
Yes. We mail printed packages at no charge to households in Ontario without reliable printing access, and in bulk to community organisations running their own sessions. Allow ten business days.
Large-print versions of all checklists are available, and every document exists in both official languages.
Please contact us first. We are usually glad to support a translation, and we would rather review it before publication than find an inaccurate version circulating afterwards.
Where a translation is approved, we host it in our library alongside the English and French versions and credit the organisation that produced it.
Section 4
Accessibility and accommodation
We book step-free venues with accessible washrooms. Where a partner venue cannot meet that standard, we say so in the listing and offer an alternative session rather than proceeding quietly.
Assistive listening devices are available at four of our regular venues. Ask when you register and we will confirm what is in place.
Yes. We provide large-print handouts, reserved seating near the front, quiet space during breaks and advance copies of the workbook for participants who prefer to read the material beforehand.
Requests made two weeks ahead are easiest to arrange, but tell us at any point and we will do what we can.
Sessions run in English and French with bilingual instructors. For other languages, including ASL and LSQ, we arrange interpretation in partnership with community organisations.
Please give us at least four weeks’ notice so the interpreter can review the technical vocabulary in advance.
Section 5
About the organisation
No. We do not inspect, we do not certify, and we do not sell, install or endorse any product or brand. That separation keeps our guidance free of commercial influence.
For a code question, contact your municipal building department or fire prevention office. For installation work, use a licensed contractor.
Through municipal and regional grants, charitable foundations, cost-recovery sessions for organisations, individual donations and publication licensing. A breakdown is published in our annual review each March.
We accept no funding from manufacturers, retailers, contractors or insurers.
Yes. Volunteer instructors complete forty hours of training, co-teach three sessions before leading one, and are observed annually. A current police record check is required for anyone working with vulnerable groups.
Our intake runs each spring. Write to us at any time and we will add you to the list for the next cohort.
Still have a question?
Our office answers email within two business days and the phone is staffed Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern. If your question is about a specific building or a code requirement, telling us the municipality helps us give you an accurate answer.