Cambridge, Ont. high-rise residents urged to be fire safe with new education program

CTV's Alexandra Holyk shows us how the Cambridge Fire Department is taking its fire safety outreach efforts to new heights.

The fire department in Cambridge, Ont. is urging high-rise residents to plan ahead and be informed in case of emergencies.

Earlier this month, Cambridge Fire launched its High-rise Incident Prevention Program (HIPP) that aims to improve fire safety and educate people living and working in high-rise buildings.

“The forefront is safety,” said platoon training officer Joel Prpic. “We want our firefighters to be safe and we want the residents of Cambridge to be safe. We want to educate residents of high-rise buildings to be as fire safe as they possibly can.”

According to Statistics Canada, a high-rise building is classified as having five or more storeys. As of January 2026, Cambridge has 40 high-rise buildings across the city.

“We are building vertically now way more than we have been,” Prpic said. “So we need to be prepared and we need to move forward with what’s going on within our city.”

Prpic said the program will help inform residents and firefighters alike.

“We will have all the contact information for every manager of each high-rise, we’ll have all the phone numbers, we’ll know if there’s vulnerable occupants within these buildings,” said Prpic. “The program is designed to really bring it all together in one easy-to-access spot.”

Prpic added crews will use an app to store the data and information to help high-rise emergency calls run smoothly.

What to watch out for

Prpic said high-rise residents should be aware of their building’s fire safety plan and proceed with caution in the event of an emergency.

“You might not know where the fire is, so that’s why you have to just open your door a little bit, look, listen, and see what’s going on,” said Prpic. “If you can safely get out of your building, get down a staircase - if not, then you need to shelter in place.”

“It doesn’t necessarily matter which floor you’re on,” Prpic added. “It just matters where the emergency is.”

As part of the program, Cambridge Fire crews will be stopping by high-rise buildings and speaking with residents and property managers until March 31.