As part of the fall Wake Up! program, firefighters from Ottawa Fire Services will visit homes across the city next week to ensure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are present and working.
Ontario’s Fire Code requires that homes have a working smoke alarm on each floor and outside each sleeping area. Carbon monoxide alarms are also required outside sleeping areas if the home has an attached garage, a wood stove or a fuel-fired appliance.
From Monday, September 23 to Monday, September 30, uniformed firefighters will:
- Visit select residential areas during a two-hour period between 3 and 8 pm on weekdays and 2 and 4 pm on weekends.
- Offer to inspect and test alarms.
- Install smoke alarms and provide new batteries.
- Share information on fire safety and home escape planning.
- Leave fire safety information in the mailbox if no one is home.
This is a courtesy call only and all services are provided to residents for free. Residents are not obligated to provide firefighters access to their home.
When the Wake Up! program began in 2005, Ottawa Fire Services installed smoke alarms in about 40% of the homes they visited. With initiatives like Wake Up! focusing on the life-saving role of smoke alarms, firefighters now install smoke alarms in less than 3% of the homes they visit.
To learn what is involved in a firefighter home visit, watch the Wake Up! video(link is external). Visit ottawa.ca/fire for more information on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Test Your Smoke Alarm Day
Missed the firefighters when they visited? Join thousands of households across Ontario in testing their alarms as part of Test Your Smoke Alarm Day on Saturday, September 28. Here’s how you can promote fire safety in your household:
- Test your alarms once per month.
- Replace the alarms’ batteries once per year.
- Install new alarms once every 10 years (or as instructed by the manufacturer).
- Review your fire safety habits and escape plan with your household regularly.
Smoke alarms don’t last forever. Learn more about smoke alarm safety and how your household could be saved by the beep on testyoursmokealarmday.ca(link is external).
