Local fire departments are calling on residents to participate in Test Your Smoke Alarm Day Thursday September 28.
Fire Preventions Officer Michael Branscombe of Prince Edward County Fire and Rescue says lives will be saved by regularly testing smoke alarms at least once a month, refreshing batteries at least once a year, and replacing smoke alarms older than 10 years.
Last year, 133 people died in fires in Ontario – the highest number in more than 20 years.
In many cases there was no working smoke alarm.
“In Ontario, we’ve seen a significant rise in fatal fires and the number of people we have lost in these fires is very concerning,” said Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg. “Entire families have been lost to fire and the most troubling part is that the majority of these fires did not have a working smoke alarm in the home. Had there been working smoke alarms, and a well thought out and practised home fire escape plan, these deaths may have been prevented.”
The Office of the Fire Marshal, with the support of fire services and fire safety partners across Ontario, is asking Ontarians to regularly test their smoke alarms with a challenge to test all smoke alarms in their residence on September 28. For more information visit www.savedbythebeep.ca.
Smoke alarms have been legally required to be installed on every storey of a residence in Ontario, including vacation homes, cabins, trailers, RVs, and cottages, since 2006.
Landlords must test alarms annually, after the battery is replaced, and after every change in tenancy.
Renters must notify their landlord as soon as they become aware that a smoke alarm is not operating.
