Oro-Medonte Fire & Emergency Services and Enbridge Gas Ontario are joining forces in an effort to improve home safety and prevent fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths.
The partnership is through the Safe Community Project Zero a public education campaign with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council (FMPFSC). Its goal is to provide more than 14,200 alarms to residents in 75 communities across Ontario.
At Wednesday' announcement at Oro-Medonte Fire headquarters, the service received 234 Kidde combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, which it plans to distribute across the community.
“It’s initiatives and partnerships like this that allow us the opportunity to better protect our residents and improve community safety, Oro-Medonte fire chief Roree Payment said in a news release. "The timing of this project aligns perfectly with the recent changes to the requirements for
carbon monoxide alarms within homes.”
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As of January 1, a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm is required on every level of a home that has a fuel-fired appliance, fireplace, or attached garage. The new change includes floors without sleeping areas.
Currently, A CO alarm must be installed in the area outside of each separate sleeping area in such homes. If a fuel-burning appliance is located within a bedroom or its attached bathroom, a CO alarm must be installed inside that bedroom.
“Carbon monoxide alarms play a vital role as a second line of defence against this
invisible threat, often called ‘the silent killerʼ,” says Enbridge Gas operations supervisor Michael Christensen in a news release. “Proper maintenance of fuel-burning appliances is the most
effective way to prevent carbon monoxide exposure."
Both organizations say that when properly installed and maintained, combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms help provide the early warning to safely escape from a house fire or exposure to the toxic, odourless gas.
Oro-Medonte's fire department responds to an average of 700 calls a year, operating out of five stations throughout the municipality with 105 volunteer firefighters.
Enbridge has been investing in the program for 17 years, which has totaled $450,000 and provided more than 115,000 alarms to Ontario fire departments.
“It is a program that not only helps fire departments raise awareness about the legal requirement to have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms installed in all Ontario homes, but also reinforces the critical role they play in saving lives,” Ontario Fire Marshal and FMPFSC chair Jon Pegg said in a news release.
