Campaign sounds alarm about fire, carbon monoxide safety

When it comes to people having working, up-to-date smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, the real enemy is complacency, a Sarnia fire official says.

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“It happens way more than people think,” said Mike Otis, public education officer with Sarnia Fire Rescue Services, about situations where the alarms save lives.

There were 121 fire-related deaths in Ontario in 2023 – the most in two decades – up from 133 in 2022.

“People think it’s never going to happen to them. . . and we need to make sure everyone knows how serious it is and the importance of being protected,” Otis said.

The service recently received 282 combination smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detectors via an $18,000 donation from Enbridge, he said.

The donation, part of the annual Safe Community Project Zero, will go to homes needing replacement alarms, said Sarnia fire Chief Jeff Weber.

Typically that means targeting older homes in neighborhoods where fires have occurred recently, he said, noting this year’s exact distribution method hasn’t been determined.

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In past years, when Sarnia got a similar number of alarms – the donation is based on population – firefighters have knocked on doors in neighborhoods after a fire, Otis said.

When people see fires in their area, “they’re more receptive” to safety precautions, he said.

Working alarms are essential, and required by law in Ontario, he said.

Smoke alarms are required on every storey and outside bedrooms, along with carbon monoxide monitors on levels where people sleep, he said.

“About two-thirds who die in fires, it’s because they don’t have working smoke alarms,” Otis said, adding “we want every single person to be protected,”

Enbridge invested $450,000 this year toward alarms in 75 communities, said Robin Ellwood, the company’s Sarnia operations supervisor.

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“It’s important because when properly installed and maintained, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. . . help provide the early warning to safely escape,” he said.

Enbridge has been funding the program since 2009, said Jamie Kovacs of the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council, a privately funded affiliate of the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office, which provides the alarms and runs the campaign.

There’s a need for more funding, he said, noting Enbridge also helps fund Safe Community Project Assist, which provides texts and training materials for firefighters.

“I challenge more corporations to give us a call,” he said. “My goal is to give as much as we can to the fire service.

Kovacs said he is also a volunteer firefighter in Central Elgin.

“I can’t stress (enough) the importance of these alarms,” said Kovacs, who’s also a Central Elgin volunteer firefighter. “It is the only thing that will wake your family up in the middle of the night and get you out.”

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