Media Release
Test Your Smoke Alarm Day: Ensuring Safety through Awareness and Preparedness
HAMILTON, ON – The City of Hamilton Fire Department, a leading advocate for community safety, is calling on all residents of the City of Hamilton to test their smoke alarms on September 28 as part of “Test Your Smoke Alarm Day”. Be prepared to be “Saved by the Beep” with a working smoke alarm – it is your best chance to keep you and your family safe in the event of a fire.
The City of Hamilton is joining communities across Ontario on September 28 by asking everyone to take a minute and to ensure that there are working smoke alarms installed in their home.
Last year, Ontario lost 133 people to deadly fires – the highest number in over 20 years. Many of these fires were found to have no working smoke alarm and stand as a reminder that only working smoke alarms will alert you to a fire and give you and your loved ones enough time to safely escape.
The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM), with the support of fire services and fire safety partners across Ontario, is asking Ontarians to regularly test their smoke alarms with a challenge to test all smoke alarms in their residence on September 28.
You can participate by snapping a photo of you or family members testing your smoke alarms and post it to social media using the hashtag #SavedByTheBeep. Learn more by visiting www.savedbythebeep.ca.
For more information, please contact the Hamilton Fire Department – Fire Prevention Division by phone at 905 546-2424 ext. 1380 or email via [email protected].
Quick Facts
- Smoke alarms have been legally required to be installed on every storey of a residence in Ontario since 2006.
- Residences also include vacation homes, cabins, trailers, RVs, and cottages.
- Landlords must test alarms annually, after the battery is replaced, and after every change in tenancy. Renters must notify their landlord as soon as they become aware that a smoke alarm is not operating.
Quotes
“It’s a little thing you can do to keep yourself and your family safe. Test your fire alarm and tell your friends and neighbours to do the same.”
Mayor Andrea Horwath
“Being prepared to act in the event of a fire can start with simply pressing the test button on the smoke alarms in your home and having the confidence that a they are working. Lives will be saved by regularly testing smoke alarms at least once a month, changing the batteries in the spring and fall, and replacing smoke alarms older than 10 years.”
Fire Chief David Cunliffe, Hamilton Fire Department
Additional Resources
Tags
Home & Neighbourhood
Emergency Services
Fire Safety
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