Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshall (OFM) says 133 people lost their lives to fires last year, the highest number in over two decades.
OFM, the City of North Bay and other communities across Ontario are calling on the public to take a minute and ensure their smoke alarms are working inside of their homes on Sept. 28, or ‘Test your Smoke Alarm Day’.
“Being prepared to act in the event of a fire can start with simply pressing the test button and having the confidence that a working smoke alarm is in your home,” said Jason Whiteley, Chief of North Bay Fire and Emergency Services. “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.”
Officials say only working smoke alarms will alert you to a fire and give you and your loved ones enough time to safely escape.
“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 practiced home fire escape plan, these deaths may have been prevented.”
