MAKE IT STOP

Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services Helps to Make Mississauga Homes Safer With the Make It Stop Program

Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services wants to improve public fire safety by supporting Make It Stop, the new provincial campaign developed by the Office of the Fire Marshal.  This program is designed to educate Ontarians about nuisance alarm solutions, smoke alarm technologies, home fire escape plans and the importance of working smoke alarms.

"Smoke alarms have to be in working order to do their job," said Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services Chief Fire Prevention Officer, Brian Walsh.  "Often occupants will disable smoke alarms because the alarm has sounded when they are cooking, making toast or after using the shower.  These are called nuisance alarms," said Walsh.  "Working smoke alarms give residents the precious seconds they need to escape a fire and maintaining them in working condition is the law."

The Ontario Fire Code requires working smoke alarms on every level of Ontario homes.  Homeowners without the required number of working smoke alarms are subject to tickets or prosecutions resulting in fines from $235 up to $50,000.  Statistics from the Ontario Fire Marshal's office reveal that in 50 per cent of fatal, preventable home fires, the victims had no smoke alarm warning.

Disabling smoke alarms is against the law.  To reduce the number of nuisance alarms in the home, try the following tips:

• keep ovens and stovetop burners clean;
• clean out crumbs in the bottom of toasters and turn down the timer setting;
• use range hood fans when cooking to help remove steam and burning particles from the air;
• use bathroom fans and keep the door closed to remove steam when showering or bathing;
• replace "ionization" type alarms that use electric current to detect smoke in the kitchen with "photoelectric" type alarms that use a light source and are less prone to false alarms during cooking;
• install smoke alarms with a "hush" feature;
• maintain your smoke alarms by testing monthly and vacuuming annually;
• replace smoke alarms every 10 years and
• try moving the smoke alarm to a less sensitive location

For more information, visit www.makeitstop.ca or call the Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services Public Education office at 905-896-5908.

Source:  City of Mississauga, Feb.09/2007