Community Safety

Okotoks residents and business owners can better protect the safety of their home or business, belongings, family and staff by signing up for Community Connect, a free, secure and user-friendly platform where you can provide critical information about your place of residence or work to first responders and emergency personnel to assist them when responding to a call at your home or business. 

Data that you provide Community Connect is secure and is used only for the purpose of better serving you during emergency situations. Any information you provide through Community Connect is completely voluntary and based on what you are comfortable sharing. 

Learn More!

1. Sign in for free and get started doing your part. It just takes your email, phone number and address.
2. Enter the info that matters most. Enter valuable information that can help us assist more effectively during an emergency.
3. Help your Okotoks Fire & Rescue when seconds count. That’s it. Just keep us updated when things change over time so we can always be prepared.
   
    Learn More!

For homeowners: 

Your Property
Understanding critical information such as your residence type, whether or not you have fire sprinklers, or designated family meeting places, improves our ability to respond and make decisions during an emergency.

Your People
Let us know who is best to contact in case of an emergency. Your contacts can help us with everything from access, to how to deal with potential hazards or locate occupants. Getting in touch helps us better communicate at the time when it’s needed most.

Your Needs
If you or members of your family have mobility or other types of functional needs that may require additional assistance, letting us know means we can plan accordingly and respond more quickly to those needs.

Your Pets
Your pets are part of the family too. We want to make sure that we are able to evacuate pets and best handle them as best we can during an incident. Tell us about any type of pet at your residence – even take a photo so we can spot them easily!

For Businesses: 

Enable your business, school, age-care facility or other public location First Responders with critical information, valuable emergency plans and more - available at a moment's notice in the event of an incident. Stay aware with notifications from First Responders through text messages in the event they are ever dispatched to your property.

Your Plans
Upload images and documents outlining your plans in case of different types of emergencies. Let your First Responders know what procedures you, your staff, and your guests will be following in case of an emergency.

Your People
If you or people at your facility have mobility or other types of functional needs that may require additional assistance, letting us know means we can plan accordingly and respond more quickly and effectively.

Your Property
Keep us aware of the most important access and utility details, your fire control systems, if there are hazardous materials on-site and other key pieces of critical building information.

Your Contact Info
Enter your contact details - we'll send you a text message to inform you and/ or the members of your team in the event that we are ever called to your property during an emergency.

Learn More!

The changing climate and potential drought conditions have increased the risk of wildfires in Alberta. Wildfires can affect communities near forests or grasslands and urban spaces like ravines and parks, so it is important that residents are equipped with the knowledge and resources to mitigate their risk. Review the below tips from FireSmart™ Canada on how to mitigate the risks of wildfires in your home and community.

About FireSmart™: FireSmart Canada is a Canadian program that develops practical, science-based resources to help Canadians increase the resilience of their homes, properties and neighbourhoods against the threat of wildland fire. It was founded to address common concerns about wildland fire in the wildland urban interface. FireSmart Canada is owned by and operated by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. 

Home Ignition Zone Self-Assessment 

The Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) is the area within 30 metres of your home and structures. It is made up of three priority areas: The Immediate Zone, Intermediate Zone, and Extended Zone. The HIZ shows how you can minimize your home and property’s vulnerability to wildfire by addressing threats in each of the three priority zones, starting with the most vulnerable area, the Immediate Zone, and working your way outward.

How resilient to wildland fire is your home and property? Walk around your home and answer FireSmart's Home Ignition Zone Self-Assessment. Consider implementing the recommended actions as you perform maintenance and renovations in each of the three Home Ignition Zones.

 Take FireSmart's Home Ignition Zone Self-Assessment.

Three steps to a cost-effective FireSmartTM Home 

Step 1: Maintain what you’ve got at least twice per year 

• Remove needles, leaves and other debris from gutters, roof surfaces, decks and balconies. Regularly clean vents.
• Remove all combustible ground cover (mulch and plants) within 1.5 m of the house perimeter.•    Remove combustible materials (firewood and lumber) stored
• within 10 m of house perimeter and under decks.
• Mow the lawn to <10 cm and plant low-growing, well-spaced shrubs and other fire-resistant plants. 
• Prune trees to create a 2 m clearance from the ground to the lowest tree branch. 

Step 2: Complete simple upgrades 

• Replace worn or missing weather stripping on all doors including garage doors.
• Add a non-combustible 3 mm screen to all external vents, except dryer vents.
• Create a 15 cm ground-to siding non-combustible clearance (e.g., install cement board or metal skirting).
• Install non-combustible 5 fencing within 1.5 m of the house (cement fiber, metal, chain link or stone).
• Install non-combustible ground surfaces within 1.5 m of the house (mineral soil, rock, concrete or stone).

Step 3: Complete more complex upgrades 

• Install Class A fire-resistant roof covering (e.g., cement fibre, metal or asphalt shingles).
• Install non-combustible siding (stucco, metal, stone, cement fibre board).
• Install multi-pane or tempered glass windows and exterior fire rated doors.
• Retrofit all deck components to be fire-rated, with a continuous surface.
• Remove conifer trees that are within 10 m of the house.

Note: not all actions will be applicable to each home. Completing these steps does not guarantee the prevention of fire. 

For more information on creating a cost effective FireSmart home, visit firesmartalberta.ca

Last-minute checklist for Protecting Your Home and Property from Wildfire 

Evacuation Tips: 

• If ordered to evacuate, do so immediately. 
• Monitor conditions and follow the advice of local authorities. 
• Review your evacuation plan for your family and pets. Visit Alberta.ca.MakeAPlan for helpful tips and evacuation plan templates. 
• Have your emergency kit ready and stocked with cash, portable radio, prescription medications, eye glasses, change of clothes, pet food, flashlights and batteries, etc. 
• Make sure your phone numbers, insurance information and other important documents for your emergency kit are current. 
• Visit Alberta.ca/GetSupplies for a more complete list of emergency supplies.
• Before evacuating: 
  • Turn off air conditioning. 
  • Turn off your home water, electricity, and gas. 
  • Close all doors, garage doors and windows. If weather seal or doors have gaps, seal with duct tape.

Quickly address outside surroundings 

• Complete a scan around your home and property and take steps to remove combustibles.
• Remove everything combustible within 10 m of your home, such as toys, patio furniture, cushions, decorative items, firewood, and potted plants that are on and under your deck and within 10 m of your home. Prioritize the first 1.5 m (5 ft) around your home and deck moving outwards from there. Move all combustible items into your shed, home, or garage.
• Remove leaves, pine needles and other debris from your roof and gutters.
• Mow grass and weeds within 10 m of the house to 10 cm in length or less.
• Clear all dead plants, leaves, and weeds within 10 m of your home. Maintain a 1.5 m non-combustible surface around your home and deck by sweeping or raking down to mineral soil, rock, or concrete. Remove all bark mulch within 1.5 m of your home.
• If you have a propane tank located on your property: 
  • Move propane tanks to more than 10 m away from structures.
  • Remove weeds and other debris from the area around large stationary propane tanks so there is no combustible material near the tank.
• If you have a combustible fence that attaches to your home:
  • Secure the gate in an open position.
  • Clear vegetation and debris along both sides of combustible fence lines.

Check around your house 

• Check vents on roof, foundation and exterior walls to prevent embers from entering your home.
• Check your attic and foundation (crawl space) vents to see if they are screened and in good repair. Use duct or metal tape to temporarily cover damaged vents and those with 3 mm mesh screening.
• If you store cardboard boxes and other easily ignited materials near a vent in your attic or crawl space, move them as far away as possible from vent(s). Another option is to place tape over vent(s) at these locations. Be sure to remove tape when you return home.
• Cover dryer vents and wall-mounted make-up air openings for furnaces with a plywood cover, metal tape or duct tape. Be sure to remove plywood, metal tape or duct tape when you return home.

Learn more about preparing for a Wildfire Evacuation at firesmartalberta.ca 
 

Okotoks Fire & Rescue and Municipal Enforcement would like to remind residents that there is a real danger of falling through the ice on storm retention ponds and the Sheep River due to changing water levels. Water quality and changing weather conditions, ice quality and thickness can be significantly reduced. Storm pond water/ice contact is prohibited. It is dangerous to walk, play or skate on any open bodies of water. Please use the Town maintained outdoor skating rinks and toboggan hills.  

What is a storm pond?

Storm pond brochure

Regulating the use of Open Spaces and Recreation Facilities 

Open Spaces and Rec Facilities Bylaw 

According to the Open Space and Recreation Facilities Bylaw:

• No person shall enter, wade, swim or skate, in or upon a storm water pond located within the Town.
• No person shall:
  a) jump, dive, or otherwise propel themselves, from or off any amenity into a storm water pond within the Town;
  b) affix or secure themselves to any structure or amenity for the purposes of water play in a storm water pond located within the Town. 

Winter

Don’t use the Sheep River for recreational use!  Did you know that ice could crumble with the weight of a child when the temperatures hover around freezing? River ice has an extra danger of sweeping someone away under the ice. Stay safe this winter and use the Town maintained outdoor skating rinks and toboggan hills.  

Summer

While enjoying a sunny afternoon dip in the Sheep River sounds ideal the Town does not recommend activities on or in the river due to cold water, fluctuating water level and the potential of debris.

Water levels in rivers can fluctuate and the depths can vary dramatically. Slippery rocks can cause falls and feet can become trapped. Rivers in the foothills can contain debris like logs and overhanging trees, making entering the water extremely risky. Swimmers and rafters can easily get caught in these hazards and the current can cause them to become trapped.  Even shallow rivers currents are very forceful. It is important to scout the river and assess dangers. If you are unsure of hazards stay away from that part of the river.

As the river is an unguarded area, people must always use caution when around a body of water. Recreation seekers must be aware of their surroundings and the potential hazards.

According to the Lifesaving Society's Alberta and Northwest Territories Branch (www.lifesaving.org ), even during the summertime, most Canadian bodies of water are cold enough to be considered a major contributing factor in recreational drowning deaths.

The society suggests the following safety measures:

• every family member meet the Swim to Survive standard — where you roll into deep water, tread water for one minute then swim 50 metres.
• wear life jackets (even when not boating)
• check the weather forecast before heading out
• do not consume alcoholic beverages
• closely supervise children
• swim with a buddy
• never dive into shallow water

Consider downloading the location-sharing what3words app to share your precise location in an emergency situation by using a what3words address. The three-word address helps OFD locate callers more easily and allows for a quicker response. More info in the section below. 

The Okotoks Fire Department want to remind you to Keep yourself and your pets off of the Sheep River. As the weather warms up, bodies of water become even more dangerous, even if the ice looks solid. Because of the way it melts, it will dramatically weaken even as it retains its thickness. When water freezes, minerals in the water make vertical veins, which melt faster than the rest of the ice.

If someone has fallen through the ice:

• Call 9-1-1 and yell for help.
• If you are also on the weak ice, slowly lie down to distribute your weight and crawl or roll away from the broken or cracked area.
• Call out to the person who has fallen in and tell them to grab as far up onto the edge of the ice as they can and start kicking their feet as if they are swimming. The kicking motion will help keep the person afloat or swim right up onto the ice.
• Extend your reach with a tree branch, hockey stick, ladder, belt, scarf, jacket or anything safely from the shore. Tell them to start kicking to help them propel out of the water while you pull them out.
• Tell them to roll or crawl to safety to lower their chance of falling through the ice again.
• Try to keep them as warm as possible until help arrives.

• Firefighter Travis gives a fire truck tour

Or some activities on Sparky’s website.   

Fire Prevention Week runs from October 5 to 11, 2025, and more information will follow regarding this year's theme!

Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week (FPW). During Fire Prevention Week, audiences learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires. Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9 in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire.

In a fire, mere seconds can mean the difference between a safe escape and a tragedy. Fire safety education isn’t just for school children. Teenagers, adults, and the elderly are also at risk in fires, making it important for every member of the community to take some time every October during Fire Prevention Week to make sure they understand how to stay safe in case of a fire.

Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety!  

Knowing what to do when an alarm sounds will keep you and your family safe. When an alarm makes noises – a beeping sound or a chirping sound – you must take action.

• Hear a beep? Get off your feet! For your smoke detector, a continued set of three loud beeps—beep, beep, beep—means smoke or fire. For your carbon monoxide detector, a continued set of four loud beeps—beep, beep, beep, beep—means carbon monoxide is present in your home. In both cases, get out and stay out, and call 911 from outside
   
• Hear a chirp? Make a change! A chirping alarm needs attention. Replace the batteries or check the expiry on the unit and replace immediately if it’s out of date!! Make sure everyone in your home understands the sounds of the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and knows how to respond.

Home Fire Escape Planning and Practicing

It is important for everyone to plan and practice a home fire escape. Everyone needs to be prepared in advance, so that they know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. Given that every home is different, every home fire escape plan will also be different. Have a plan for everyone in the home. Children, older adults, and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out. Make sure that someone will help them!

Check out the below resources to learn more! 

• Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work For You! - tip sheet
• Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety - tip sheet  
• Smoke & CO Alarms for People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing - tip sheet 
   

Here are some seasonal home fire safety tips from the Okotoks Fire & Rescue:

1. Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detectors

• Make sure you have them and that they’re working. 
   

2. Light up the night without igniting the lights

• Purchase extension cords for the specific job – don’t improvise with an indoor cord outdoors, or daisy chain several shorter cords instead of just getting a longer one.
• As with extension cords, indoor-rated light strings and pre-lit trees are for indoor use only. Products marked for indoor use are not designed to hold up against the elements. However it is safe though to use outdoor extension cords and light strings indoors.
• It is not a good idea to connect different types of light strings together. For example, don’t plug in a new LED string to your old incandescent light string.
• Do not run extension cords under carpets, out windows or doorways where they could become pinched.
• Inspect light strings/set and extension cords before use, and discard any that show signs of wear or damage.
• Insert plugs fully into outlets. Poor contact may cause overheating or shock.
• If using candles, burn them in proper holders, on sturdy surfaces away from children and pets. Put out candles before leaving the room or going to sleep. 
• Do not overload electrical outlets.
• Be mindful of ladder placement when hanging outdoor lights or decorating your Christmas tree. Ensure it is safely secured on an even ground and that you have someone to hold the ladder for you. 
   

3. Staying warm

• If you must use a space heater, plug it directly into a wall outlet, not into an extension cord or power bar. Give it lots of room -- at least 1 m (3 feet) of space on all sides, and turn it off before leaving the room or going to sleep.
• Consider replacing old space heaters with newer models that turn off automatically when tipped or overheating. 
• Use a barrier to keep children and pets away from gas or wood burning fireplaces when they are in use. 
• Never burn gift wrappings, boxes, cartons, or other types of packing in the fireplace. 
   

4. Cooking safe

• Don’t leave grilling, frying or broiling unattended.
• Keep cooking surfaces clutter-free
   

5. The Tree

• Real or fake, the good news is Christmas trees rarely catch fire. Nevertheless, if using a real one, make sure to keep it well-watered and away from sources of heat. Never use candles on or near the tree.
• Ensure a real tree is watered regularly to prevent it from drying out. 
• Turn your tree lights out before you go to bed. 

Halloween is the time of year when all the little ghosts and ghouls get to dress up. They wander through Okotoks' neighbourhoods, knocking on doors and collecting treats. It can be very fun, as long as it’s a safe experience. We have put together safety information to help you and your little trick or treaters stay safe on Halloween. Both fire stations are open, between emergency calls, as safe places for anyone needing help.

Homes and decorations
To help prevent fires and injuries, follow these tips:

• Ensure your front entrance is well-lit to welcome trick-or-treaters.
• Keep front lawns and pathways clear of obstacles.
• Keep pets contained and away from the front entrance.
• Avoid using real candles, especially where people walk by, and consider using battery-operated candles or glow sticks.

Costume safety

It’s important to pick your costume carefully so that you are safe while trick-or-treating.

• Avoid costumes made of flammable materials and long trailing fabrics.
• Chose properly fitting costumes and footwear.
• Weapons or Accessories shouldn't look too real and should be made of flexible material that cannot cause harm.
• Ensure your mask doesn't limit your vision or try using face paint instead of a mask.
• Dress for the weather. The temperature in Calgary drops quickly, so dress warm.

Stay visible

Okotoks gets dark quickly in the evening and as the sun goes down it gets harder for drivers to see trick-or-treaters. Follow these tips to stay visible:

• Try to trick-or-treat while it’s light out.
• Attach reflective tape or glow sticks.
• Wear bright and visible costumes.
• Carry a flashlight or glow stick.
• Travel in groups.

Trick-or-treating

• Trick-or-treating should be fun and safe for everyone. Remember these tips to have a safe night out:
• Young children should always be accompanied by an adult.
• Discuss and plan a route and where to meet after.
• Stay on sidewalks, cross at intersections, and look both ways before crossing.
• Do not enter the home of a stranger.
• Do not approach homes that are unlit or undecorated.
• Carry a cell phone in case of emergencies, but don’t let it distract you!
• Ensure all candy is inspected and tested by an adult.