Calgary Fire Urges Home Escape Plans as School Drill Program Marks Another Year

Calgary firefighters ran a school fire drill at St. Elizabeth Seton School on Oct. 22 with the Calgary Catholic School District, part of an annual program that requires every school in the city to complete six fire drills a year, one of them attended by the Calgary Fire Department.¹

Fire Chief Steve Dongworth and newly appointed Junior Fire Chief Kean Hallisey activated the school's fire alarm, confirming it works, while children and staff evacuated, the City of Calgary said. The two also stressed the importance of having a home escape plan in an emergency.¹

The department's push for fire safety awareness comes as residential fires rise. Overall fire-related incidents were comparable to last year's levels, but Calgary's single-family residential fires were up over 28 per cent in September 2026 compared with 2025, according to the city.¹

Under the program, firefighters visit hundreds of schools across the city each year. The drills let firefighters and school staff practise and assess evacuation procedures, reinforce life safety messages with students and families and connect teachers with fire safety educational resources, the city said.¹

CFD is actively working with all the schools in Calgary to teach children about the importance of fire safety and practicing escape plans at home with their families¹Fire Chief Steve Dongworth

Dongworth said the work helps students build habits that protect themselves, their families and their schools. The drills also reinforce the value of planning and rehearsing an escape plan not only at school but at the children's homes, the city said.¹

by teaching our students about fire prevention and the importance of making safe choices, we're helping them build habits that can protect themselves, their families, their schools and their communities. We're grateful to the Calgary Fire Department for helping bring these lessons to life for our students¹Greg Moore, senior officer, occupational health and safety, Calgary Catholic School District

The city pointed residents to calgary.ca/schoolfiredrills for more information on the program. The release did not give a date for the next scheduled drill.¹