Working smoke alarms save lives

Nanaimo Fire Rescue going door-to-door to educate residents about smoke alarms

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed October 5, 2018 7:01 AM

Summary

Nanaimo Fire Rescue wants residents of Nanaimo to be as prepared as possible in case of a structure fire, and that begins with smoke alarms in the home.

"You have less than 3 minutes to escape a house fire. Don't rely on outdated smoke alarms to keep your family safe." These are powerful statements that stand out on the cover of one of Nanaimo Fire Rescue's safety brochures. Public awareness around smoke alarms is one of the team's objectives, and the motivation behind an annual door-to-door campaign that will have firefighters educating residents and checking smoke alarms in the hospital neighbourhood area.

Karen Fry, Nanaimo's Fire Chief, says that statistically "the percentage of working smoke alarms in residential fires was only 25% between 2012-2015. This is well below the provincial average of 36%, and Nanaimo Fire Rescue needs to be sure that we do everything we can to provide the occupants with enough time to evacuate safely if they do have a fire."

With Nanaimo Fire Rescue, the message is clear. Check your smoke alarms monthly. Change the batteries in your smoke alarms every six months. And change your smoke alarms every ten years, as they are only designed to have a ten-year life span.

The door-to-door campaign begins in the hospital area of Nanaimo on October 7, 2018. The City of Nanaimo and Nanaimo Fire Rescue have created a video to emphasize the new campaign. View it online at www.nanaimo.ca, on the City's Youtube channel (CityofNanaimo) or on the online version of this news release.

Link to Strategic Plan: The City of Nanaimo is committed to Public Safety.

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