Independent and reader-supported. Some links are affiliate links — see our disclosure. Codes vary by province, state and city: confirm with your local fire authority.
Start here

Where to start

Three priority lists, each ranked by what protects people and property most per dollar and per hour. Pick the one that fits, or work through more than one.

For your home

Ranked by lives and property saved per dollar. Detection and a way out come first, because they work for every kind of fire.

  1. 01
    This weekUnder $150

    Alarms that work without you

    Check the manufacture date on every smoke alarm and replace any over ten years old. Fit one on every storey, inside each bedroom and in the hallway outside them, with CO alarms near sleeping areas if you have any fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage. Sealed ten-year units remove the dead-battery failure that causes most alarm failures.

  2. 02
    This month$50–$200

    A way out of every bedroom

    Walk two exits from every room. Upstairs bedrooms without a second safe route need an escape ladder, and every child old enough to use it needs to have practised.

  3. 03
    This month$100–$250

    Stop the kitchen fire

    Cooking starts more home fires than anything else. Keep a listed ABC extinguisher near the exit of the kitchen, a fire blanket for pan fires, and a heat alarm in the garage where smoke alarms nuisance-trip.

  4. 04
    This season$50–$400

    Heating, wiring and batteries

    Have the chimney inspected and swept before the heating season, keep ash in a metal can outside, charge e-bikes and tool packs away from exits, and ask an electrician about arc-fault protection on older circuits.

  5. 05
    When you build or renovate$$$

    Hardwire it and sprinkler it

    Hardwired interconnected alarms and an NFPA 13D sprinkler system are cheap during construction and expensive afterwards. A gut renovation is the moment.

Empty homes, rentals and cottages: add monitoring so a fire is reported when no one is there to hear the alarm. See monitoring and warnings.

For a business or building

Most of this is required by code, so the order is about compliance risk: what an inspector or insurer checks first, and what fails most often.

  1. 01
    FirstFree

    Find out what you already owe

    Ask your local fire department or fire marshal which code edition applies, whether your building needs a fire safety plan, and when it was last inspected. Find the last inspection reports for every system in the building. Missing paperwork is the most common finding.

  2. 02
    Every yearPer unit

    Extinguishers, sized and serviced

    NFPA 10 sets the type, size and spacing. Have a fire equipment company lay them out, do the annual maintenance and tag them, and do the monthly visual checks yourself. Kitchens need a Class K unit; electronics rooms may want clean agent.

  3. 03
    Every year$$

    Fire alarm tested, monitoring that still connects

    Annual inspection and testing is required. If the panel still reports over copper phone lines, budget for a cellular or IP communicator before the line is retired.

  4. 04
    Every quarter$$

    Sprinklers inspected to NFPA 25

    Keep control valves open and supervised, and keep to the quarterly, annual and five-year inspection schedule. A closed valve is the most common reason sprinklers fail.

  5. 05
    Every six months$$

    Commercial kitchens

    A UL 300 wet-chemical system over grease-producing appliances, inspected every six months, with hood and duct cleaning on its own schedule.

  6. 06
    Where it applies$$$

    Special rooms and hazards

    Server rooms, archives and switchgear may justify a clean agent system; battery storage needs separation and the right cabinet; emergency lighting and fire doors need monthly and annual checks.

Insurers often ask for the same documents as the fire inspector. Keeping every inspection report in one place is the cheapest compliance measure there is.

For a wildfire-exposed property

Ranked by impact per dollar, not by price. A house with screened vents and a clean Immediate Zone survives more fires than one with an expensive sprinkler system and pine needles in the gutters.

  1. 01
    This month$100–$500

    Close the ember gaps

    Screen or replace vents, screen under the deck, fit metal gutter guards, cover the propane tank, and clear the first 1.5 m around the house of everything that burns.

  2. 02
    Early fire season$100–$400

    Treat and thin

    Spray long-term retardant on fences, decks and mulch. Limb conifers to 2 m. Rake needle litter. Keep a backpack pump for spot fires.

  3. 03
    When you can$500–$2,500

    Add the active layer

    A gutter-mount sprinkler kit, then a pump and water storage so it keeps running when the hydrants drop. Gel for the last hour before you leave.

  4. 04
    Before the seasonUnder $100

    Get the warning early

    Register for your municipal and provincial or state alerts, and keep a weather radio for when the cell network is congested. Leave when told to, early.

Many provinces will assess your property for free before you spend anything. See the wildfire contractors guide for the programs.