The Guelph Fire Department is partnering with TVOKids and the Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management to raise awareness about the importance of early fire detection at home.
During the two week spring campaign—“Push the Button!”—families are encouraged to test the smoke alarms in their homes beginning February 24.
“Kids love pushing the button to hear if an alarm is working and this fun exercise provides an opportunity for parents to talk about fire safety in the home with their family,” says Kim Hodgson, chief fire prevention officer with the Guelph Fire Department, adding, “Our goal is to have as many smoke alarms tested in Guelph homes as possible during the campaign.”
In Ontario, the Fire Code requires all single family, semi-detached and town homes to have a working smoke alarm on every storey of the residence and outside all sleeping areas.
To make sure the alarms are working, push the test button for 10 seconds. If the alarm doesn’t sound, the battery or smoke alarm may need to be replaced.
“It’s very important that each home has working smoke alarms because they are the first line of defence in alerting everyone in the home there is a fire,” says Hodgson.
Once the smoke alarms have been tested, families can visit
TVOKids.com and enter the number of smoke alarms tested at home. The number will be added to the “Push the Button!” counter.
The “Push the Button!” campaign runs until March 9.
Visit guelph.ca/fire for more fire safety information.