British Columbia is one of 10 provinces/territories to participate in a national simultaneous smoke alarm test, and all in the province are invited to join in.
The ‘Great Canadian Smoke Alarm Test’ takes place Sunday, Nov. 1, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Taking part is easy and could prevent fire tragedies in our communities.
To participate homeowners simply download, follow and confirm the completion of a simple four-step checklist available on safeathome.ca/powerhour.
“We’re billing the event as the ‘Power Hour’ because of the huge impact on preventing fire tragedies that we achieve when homeowners ensure their smoke alarms are properly maintained with fresh batteries, or, replaced if they are past their 10-year lifespan. It puts a new twist on time change weekend,” says Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness.
Follow these steps:
1. Walk through your home to make sure you have a smoke alarm on everay storey, including the basement, and outside all sleeping areas or inside bedrooms if you sleep with doors closed.
2. Check all smoke alarm expiry dates. If it is more than 10 years old, or the year it was made cannot be identified, replace the alarm.
3. Press the Test Button on each smoke alarm. If it sounds, it confirms power is present and circuits are operating.
4. For added protection, follow the same steps for carbon monoxide alarms.
People who confirm their participation online have a chance to win new Worry-Free smoke alarm models and large-sized toy Sparky® Dogs.
Home fire safety expert, Carol Heller from Kidde Canada, recommends that homeowners take advantage of new smoke alarm technologies that help make upkeep easier, such as tamper-proof designs, sealed 10-year lithium batteries that last the life of the alarm, and additional safety features such as built-in LED lighting to help illuminate your escape, sensors that reduce nuisance alarms and end-of-life warnings.