At a presentation last week, the St. Thomas Fire Department was the recipient of 210 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
The donation was possible through the Fire Marshal’s Public Safety Council and Enbridge Gas.
They are partnering to improve home safety and bring fire and CO-related deaths down to zero.
John Pegg, chair of the council, noted there is a renewed focus on the importance of having working smoke and CO alarms in your home.
Reducing fire deaths is the goal of the public education campaign, Safe Community Project Zero, established 16 years ago and which has provided more than 100,000 alarms to fire departments in the province.
Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in your home or business are only effective if they are properly installed and maintained, advised Pegg.
This year the public education campaign will provide thousands of alarms to communities across Ontario, explained Pegg.
Doug Chapman from Enbridge Gas referred to the alarms as a critical second line of defense against CO poisoning, known as the silent killer.
The first line of defense, he added, is to properly maintain fuel-burning equipment like furnaces and hot water heaters.
St. Thomas Fire Chief Dave Gregory added, “This donation from Enbridge will allow us to continue to ensure everyone in St. Thomas has the most important fire safety tool for their home.
