Quinte West Fire/Rescue challenges residents to test their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and Get Loud! as part of Fire Prevention Week. Fire Prevention Week runs from Oct. 3-9 and this year’s campaign theme is Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety™.
By law, every home in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas. However, too often fatal fires in Ontario occur in homes where there were no working smoke alarms.
Do you know what your smoke alarm is telling you with those beeps?
“Knowing the different sounds your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms make can save you, your loved ones, and your home. Get Loud! by testing your alarms every month to learn the sound they make and to ensure the batteries work,” says Quinte West Fire Prevention Officer Sarah Scott. Get Loud! and push the test button on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms every month to learn the sound alarms make.
Testing alarms produces a beep, the sound of alarms in an emergency. Replace the batteries if the alarms do not sound when the test button is pushed. If the alarms still don’t sound, replace them.
Testing your alarms is the only way to ensure they are working and that you and your family can be alerted in the event of a fire. Scott also reminds residents to know what to do when the alarm sounds. “Take immediate action if your smoke or carbon monoxide alarms sound. If the alarms beep in an emergency get everyone out of the home. If your alarms chirp, replace the batteries or alarms immediately.”
For more information on fire prevention and safety, contact the Quinte West Fire Prevention Office at 613-392-6557 or email fireprevention@quintewest.ca. Find more fire prevention tips here.