---
title: "Ottawa fire official urges families to share 9-1-1 with new Canadians and elderly relatives"
description: "Ottawa Fire Services rescued a woman from a townhouse fire after her neighbours called 9-1-1. A fire official said many new Canadians do not know Canada's emergency number and urged families to include elderly and newcomer relatives in their fire escape plans."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/ottawa-fire-9-1-1-new-canadians-2026-10-28"
last_updated: "2026-10-29T14:05:35.060Z"
---

Ottawa Fire Services rescued an elderly woman from a townhouse fire on October 25 after her neighbours called 9-1-1. CTV News reported on October 28 that the woman had not called 9-1-1 herself because she did not know it was Canada's emergency number.

The fire was at a two-storey townhome in the 1400 block of Heatherington Road near Albion Road North. Ottawa Fire Services received the first calls at around 10:40 a.m. Firefighters working in zero-visibility conditions found the woman on the second floor and brought her out. Her injuries were not life-threatening.

## She called her son, not 9-1-1

CTV News reported that Ottawa Fire Services public information officer Nick DeFazio said the woman saw smoke coming through her bedroom vents but called her son instead of 9-1-1. Her son did not answer. Her neighbours saw the smoke and called 9-1-1. Firefighters arrived within four minutes.

"Five more minutes and this would have been a different story," DeFazio said, according to CTV News.

DeFazio said the rescue shows why families should go over emergency plans with elderly relatives and newcomers to Canada who may not know about 9-1-1.

## Many countries use different emergency numbers

CTV News reported that DeFazio explained that emergency numbers vary by country. Europe and parts of Africa and southeast Asia use 1-1-2. The United Kingdom and some African countries use 9-9-9. Someone new to Canada may have used one of those numbers in their previous country and not know about 9-1-1.

## What to do in a fire

According to CTV News, Ottawa Fire Services said:

- Call 9-1-1 and stay on the line. Dispatchers relay your location directly to responding firefighters.
- If you cannot get out, keep doors closed to stop smoke from spreading, block the door bottom and vents with towels, and open a window for air.
- Firefighters always search a home twice, even when neighbours say nobody is inside.

Ottawa Fire Services also has a fire escape plan worksheet on ottawa.ca. Residents can find it at [ottawa.ca/en/fire-and-emergency-services/community-safety/home-fire-safety](https://ottawa.ca/en/fire-and-emergency-services/community-safety/home-fire-safety).

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