The local Fire Department’s door-to-door smoke and carbon monoxide alarm campaign kicks off on April 29.
John Tuck, the Town of Parry Sound’s Fire Prevention Public Education Officer says during the campaign, members of the FD head out, knock on each door in town and try to educate the public. Tuck says if no one’s home, they will leave some information in the mailbox for them.
“We’ll have all the trucks out for that. So sometimes they have their lights on. It’s not going to be an emergency call. We’re just using the trucks for if any children want to come out and have a tour of [it] while we’re talking to the adults,” Tuck says.
He says fire officials always recommend you change the batteries in your units every six months. In the spring when the clocks spring ahead, and in the fall when the clocks fall back. In addition, they advise doing a monthly test on them to make sure they are operating.
“It is the law. You have to have a smoke alarm on every level of your home. And you have to have a CO alarm outside any sleeping areas. So if you have one sleeping area in the basement and one upstairs, you’d have to have two alarms. But if you only have one sleeping area, [for example] three bedrooms down a little hallway, you’re only required to have one,” Tuck says.
As for what happens if you don’t have the proper alarms in place, he says during the campaign the FD will be supplying the necessary equipment to anyone in need. “We have so many that we budget for and before we leave, we’ll make sure they’re up and running and that’ll be the end of it. We won’t be laying any charges during the door-to-door campaign unless it’s a multi-unit dwelling that’s a commercial building,” he says.
Tuck says these alarms are life-saving devices. He also reminds residents to always make sure they have a safe way out of their homes. “Two ways out is always the best and don’t clutter up your means of egress – the hallways, where you’re leaving or going down stairwells,” he says. He also recommends having a fire escape plan in place so you and your family know how to get out and stay out in case of a fire.
**Written by Mo Fahim