Oct 08, 2014
Addington Highlands Township Reeve Henry Hogg would like everyone to have a fire safe year. He encourages everyone to test their smoke alarms monthly and replace the batteries at least once a year or more often if the “low battery” chirps. Every year people die needlessly in home fires as a result of no smoke alarm or smoke alarms not working due to batteries being dead or removed. Reeve Hogg says “we need to change this by installing, maintaining and testing our smoke alarms”. Ontario law requires there must be at least one working smoke alarm on every level of a dwelling and outside all sleeping areas. Please note “dwelling” can be a home, cottage, hunt camp or camper trailer.
In 35% of Ontario’s fatal residential fires there was no working smoke alarm, in 41% of those fires there was no battery in the smoke alarm or the battery was dead.
Working smoke alarms increase your chance of surviving a home fire by up to 50%. Just like milk or bread, smoke alarms have an expiry date. Smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years. There will be an expiry date on your smoke alarm.
All families should have a home escape plan with two ways out and practice it with the whole family. Your home escape plan should have a meeting place that everyone knows, a safe distance from the building. You may have less than three minutes to get out before the house becomes unsafe.
If you have any smoke alarm or fire safety questions please contact your local fire department.
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