A fatal fire at a Quebec nursing home is putting a spotlight on fire safety in seniors’ homes, and Saskstoon's fire department and long-term care facilities are taking note.

“Fires in nursing homes -- there's many challenges. We have people who aren't mobile, in this case (the Quebec fire) there were people who had Alzheimer’s, so that presents a real challenge,” said Morgan Hackl, acting assistant fire chief for the Saskatoon Fire Department.

Five people are confirmed dead and 30 more are unaccounted for in the fire that happened early Thursday in the small community of L'Isle-Verte, Que. Residents had little chance to escape the flames as many of them were over 85, had little or no mobility and were confined to wheelchairs or walkers. A Quebec Health Department document indicates the residence, which has operated since 1997, had only a partial sprinkler system.

The Saskatoon department hasn't had to fight a similar fire here but it’s not waiting for an accident to make sure everyone is prepared.

“Our crews do a lot of familiarization with properties and nursing homes to make sure they're aware of any hazards and mobility issues for people living in these residences,” Hackl said, “so we make sure we know what these residences have for an emergency plan.”

Provincial regulations dictate that any senior home with more than 10 residents needs to have a sprinkler system, and the fire department also works with homes on testing smoke detectors and safety training.

Sherbrooke Community Centre has measures in place to keep its 263 residents safe but maintenance manager Don Grant said relationships are just as important as solid emergency plans.

“I think the key thing is for our residents is to know that they're in a safe environment so they need to trust that we're doing everything we can for our residents, staff and visitors,” Grant said.

Sherbrooke has built-in telephones for firefighters because the large building makes radio communication difficult. During evacuations they also have a simple notification system to make sure each room is checked.

Seniors’ homes also have fire panels that can only be turned off manually to ensure any problems or alarms have been dealt with.