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News release

The Milton Fire & Rescue Services encourages all residents to participate in Ontario’s inaugural Test Your Smoke Alarm Day on Sept. 28. 

The day of action was established following a troubling 133 fire fatalities in Ontario last year—the largest number of fire-related deaths in 20 years.  

Test Your Smoke Alarm Day was established by the Office of the Fire Marshal and aims to promote the importance of installing, testing and maintaining smoke alarms.

Smoke alarms have been legally required to be installed on every storey of a residence since 2006. Residents are encouraged to test their smoke alarm on Sept. 28, by pressing the test button to ensure their alarm is in working order. Residents are also reminded to replace their smoke alarm batteries once a year and to replace alarms that are older than 10 years. 

Residents who are unsure how to test their smoke alarm or if their alarm appears to not be working can contact the Milton Fire and Rescue Services for assistance by calling the non-emergency number at 905-878-9251. 

As part of the safety campaign, members of the Milton Fire & Rescue Services will be onsite at the Milton Fall Fair on Sept. 22 and the following home improvement stores leading up to Test Your Smoke Alarm Day, to help educate residents about installing smoke alarms and fire safety:

  • Tuesday, Sept. 26 – Home Depot – 10 a.m. – noon
  • Wednesday, Sept.27 – Home Hardware – 1:30 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, Sept. 28 – Lowes 10 a.m. – noon

Stay tuned for fire safety and smoke alarm tips on the Milton Fire & Rescue Services X (formerly Twitter) account. Residents can also snap a picture of them testing their smoke alarms and posting it to their social media channels using the hashtag #SavedByTheBeep.

Quote

"Most fire fatalities occur in homes that do not have working smoke alarms. Having a properly installed and working smoke alarm is one of the greatest fire safety tools a family can invest in. I strongly encourage all residents to learn more about smoke alarms, fire safety and home fire escape planning—your family’s life could depend on it.”

- Peter Gatto
Chief, Milton Fire and Rescue Services

 

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For media inquiries, please contact: 

Diane Medeiros
Communications Advisor
905-299-7418
Email Communications Staff