The North Bay Fire and Emergency Services echoes a warning from Health Canada about smoke alarms sold in Canada through Ali Express that may not work.
North Bay officials tell people it’s “critical for your survival” to swap out these smoke detectors for those that are approved for use in Canada.
“It is recommended to inspect and test your smoke alarms immediately and replace as necessary,” reads the bulletin posted on X on March 27.
In a consumer product advisory issued on March 13, Health Canada warned against the use of the PGST and GauTone Photoelectric Smoke Alarms, as the products may not meet regulations in Canada.
“The Residential Detectors Regulations require that smoke detectors, heat actuated fire detectors and smoke alarms in Canada meet the applicable Canadian standards,” Health Canada’s warning states. “The product does not have a Canadian certification mark and it is unknown if the alarm operates in the presence of smoke or fire, posing a potential fire hazard.”
Product details to check
- PGST Independent Smoke Detector Sensor Fire Alarm System for Home Office Security Smoke Alarm Fire Protection, S11D-EN (on packaging) Photoelectric Smoke Alarm, Model PG-S11 (on product).
- GauTone Independent Smoke Alarm Fire Protection Smokehouse Home Security System Smoke Detector, GT-441B-1 (on packaging) Photoelectric Smoke Alarm, Model PG-S11 (on product).
Health Canada reports the smoke alarms have been removed from sale online from AliExpress.
The foreign third-party seller has been unresponsive to requests to voluntarily recall, so Health Canada is advising consumers to “immediately stop” using the smoke alarm.
As of March 10, AliExpress reported 276 of the affected products were sold in Canada.
No incidents or injuries related to these products have been reported to Health Canada.
Product recall for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Also on March 13, Health Canada issued a recall notice for Modofo Tool 5 in 1 Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector. This product may also not be approved for use in Canada and may fail to operate in the presence of smoke.