Do you ever think about your smoke detector? Ever think of what you would do to protect your family in the event of a fire in your home?
If you are like most people, chances are you simply don’t worry about it. No one ever thinks their home is going to catch fire.
“When it comes to fire safety in your home, the most important action you can take to help protect yourself and your family is to install working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and test them regularly,” says Ontario Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “Fire Prevention Week serves as an excellent reminder to make some noise and test your alarms to ensure they are working properly. I encourage everyone to “Get Loud” to keep safe.”
Ontario’s Fire Marshal is encouraging Ontarians to make Fire Prevention Week 2021 a noisy but safe one. The theme for the annual safety week, which runs October 3 to 9, is “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety” and the province is issuing a challenge to the public to “Get Loud” to ensure everyone has working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their homes.
“Testing your alarms is the only way to ensure they are working properly and keep you and your family alerted in the event of a fire,” said Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg. “Get to know the sounds your alarms make. If the alarm doesn’t sound, install a new battery. If the alarm still doesn’t sound, replace the alarm with a new, certified one.”
By law, every home in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas. Too often, fatal fires in the province occur in homes with no working smoke alarms. In 2019, over a third of residential cases of fire resulting in loss of life, injury, or property damage had either a non-functioning smoke alarm or no alarm.