Fire suppression and more
Fire Services
Learn about Tillsonburg Fire Services
About Tillsonburg Fire and Rescue Services
Tillsonburg Fire Services is made up of 28 on-call volunteer firefighters and a team of professional fire communicators. The team is led by a fire chief, and two assistant chiefs.
Rules for backyard fires, fireworks and more!
Emergency Response
Tillsonburg firefighters respond to a wide variety of incidents and life threatening situations including:
- residential, commercial and industrial fires
- medical emergencies
- vehicle or multi-vehicle collisions
- carbon monoxide emergencies
- natural-gas and propane emergencies
- hazardous and flammable materials spills and leaks
- water rescues
- industrial accidents
- elevator rescues
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Fire Communications
Tillsonburg's Fire Communications division provides 24-hour a day / 7-day a week fire dispatch operations to the Town of Tillsonburg, as well as 38 other fire stations across Ontario. Fire communications staff are responsible for answering all emergency and non-emergency calls, and dispatching fire apparatus and personnel through a Computer-Aided Dispatch (C.A.D.) and radio communication system.
To learn more about how the dispatch centre can assist your municipality, contact:
Assistant Fire Chief - Communications & Administration
Vanessa Devolin
Public Education
Tillsonburg Fire Services offers public education services ranging from on-site tours and school visits, to educational talks, fire extinguisher training and participation in public events.
For booking requests, please complete our Fire and Life Safety Public Education online request form. Paper copies of the form are also available at the Fire Hall.
All requests for charity or public events MUST be requested at least one month in advance.
Open-air burning is regulated in the Town of Tillsonburg by By-Law 3072. In general, you are allowed to have a recreational fire or an outdoor cooking fire if certain requirements are met.
Some of these requirements include:
- Containing your fire in a non-combustible container or pit specifically designed for open-air burning
- Ensuring your fire is located away from combustible structures or objects
- Ensuring your fire and the resulting smoke is not a nuisance to your neighbours.
If there are complaints from neighbours, your fire may be required to be extinguished, even if all other conditions are met.
A recreational or outdoor cooking fire is only allowed between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and midnight.
Fires are not permitted when wind speeds exceed 15 kph, or during rainy/foggy conditions.
From time to time, an open-air burn ban may be declared due to dry conditions or poor air quality.
To minimize the risk of property damage, fire and serious injury, Tillsonburg Fire & Rescue Services does not encourage backyard fireworks displays. Fireworks are safest when handled by qualified fireworks experts at public events.
However, if you choose to have a backyard or family display in the Town of Tillsonburg, you must comply with By-Law 4293.
Please note that only consumer-grade, low-hazard fireworks (Canadian class 7.2.1/F.1) are appropriate for home/personal use. See the full by-law for details regarding firework sales, and the requirements for display fireworks (Canadian class 7.2.2 / F.2).
When you hear your carbon monoxide alarm beeping, the first thing you should do is pay attention to the exact nature of the sound. Different patterns of beeps or chirps mean different things, though all signal that you must take some action.
- A single chirp every 30 or 60 seconds means the battery is low and must be changed.
- Chirping that continues after the battery has been replaced means the alarm is at the end of its life and the unit must be replaced.
- A loud steady alarm (not beeps or chirps) = EMERGENCY. The unit has detected carbon monoxide gas in your home. Get everyone to fresh air and phone 911.
All alarms wear out over time. Replace smoke alarms by the date shown on the unit. Manufacturers typically recommend every10 years. However, if an alarm is not working correctly, or is damaged, replace it immediately.
When choosing an alarm, consider where the alarm will be installed.
Ionization type smoke alarms typically respond first to fast flaming fires. They are best suited for rooms that contain highly combustible materials (e.g., cooking fat or grease, flammable liquids, newspapers, paint, and cleaning solutions)
Photoelectric type smoke alarms typically respond first to slow smoldering fires and are less prone to nuisance alarms near the kitchen area. These models are best suited for living rooms, bedrooms and near kitchens.
For maximum protection, install at least one ionization and one photoelectric type smoke alarm on each level of your home
Other tips:
- Test smoke alarms monthly.
- Change the batteries in your alarm twice per year. Don’t use rechargeable batteries. Unlike regular batteries, they lose their charge without emitting any warning signal.
- Gently vacuum once a year with soft brush.