Today, Enbridge Gas Inc. (Enbridge Gas), the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council (FMPFSC) and the London Fire Department kicked off the start of Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week and announced they are working together to improve home safety and bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths down to zero.
London Fire Department received 600 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms through Safe Community Project Zero–a public education campaign that will provide more than 14,220 alarms to residents in 75 communities across Ontario.
When properly installed and maintained, combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms help provide the early warning to safely escape from a house fire or carbon monoxide exposure. Carbon monoxide is a toxic, odourless gas that is a by-product of incomplete combustion of many types of common fuels.
“Carbon monoxide alarms play a vital role as a second line of defence against this invisible threat, often called ‘the silent killerʼ,” said Mike Gladstone, Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications at Enbridge Gas Ontario. “Proper maintenance of fuel-burning appliances is the most effective way to prevent carbon monoxide exposure. We’re proud to support our communities by raising awareness and helping Ontarians take simple, proactive steps to stay safe in their homes.”
“Each day, fire departments focus their efforts on educating the public about the importance of having working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their home. The objective of Safe Community Project Zero is to deliver these alarms to areas where they are needed most,” says Jon Pegg, Ontario Fire Marshal and Chair of the FMPFSC. “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.”
“I can’t stress enough how important working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are! They are proven life saving devices that will alert you if high levels of smoke or carbon monoxide are present in your home,” says Jamie Kovacs, Executive Director of the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council and proud volunteer firefighter. “I’m grateful to Enbridge Gas for their continued investment in keeping their communities safe, by ensuring fire departments have the alarms needed to help protect families from the dangers of carbon monoxide and fire across Ontario”
“We are thankful for the opportunity provided to the London Fire Department by the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council and Enbridge Gas Inc., to provide combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to our community through our Sound the Alarm smoke alarm program,” said Deputy Fire Chief Matt Hepditch.