Last week, Enbridge Gas Inc., and the Meaford Fire Department announced they are working together to improve home safety and bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths down to zero.
Meaford Fire received 180 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms through
Safe Community Project Zero–a public education campaign with the Fire Marshal’s Public
Fire Safety Council (FMPFSC) that will provide more than 8,000 alarms to residents in 50
municipalities across Ontario.
This year, Enbridge Gas invested $250,000 in Safe Community Project Zero, and over
the past 14 years, the program has provided more than 76,000 alarms to Ontario fire
departments.
When properly installed and maintained, combination smoke and carbon monoxide
alarms help provide the early warning to safely escape from a house fire or carbon
monoxide exposure. Carbon monoxide is a toxic, odourless gas that is a by-product of
incomplete combustion of many types of common fuels.
“Carbon monoxide is known as the ‘silent killer’ for a reason, and evidence shows that
prevention saves lives. We know that the best way to avoid carbon monoxide exposure is
to eliminate it at the source by properly maintaining fuel-burning equipment, and that the
alarms are a critical second line of defense to protect against carbon monoxide
poisoning,” said Jacquelyn Scott, Supervisor Operations, Southeast Region – Owen
Sound, Enbridge Gas.
“The objective of Safe Community Project Zero is to deliver combination smoke and
carbon monoxide alarms to residents in Ontario communities who need them the most,”
says Jon Pegg, Ontario Fire Marshal and Chair of the FMPFSC. “It’s a program that fire
departments can adopt to help educate their communities about the requirement for all
Ontario homes to have a CO alarm if they have a fuel-burning appliance or an attached
garage.”
“The generous donation of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms from Enbridge Gas is going to help a large number of families within Meaford who need these life-saving devices in their homes,” noted Fire Chief Courtney Allen. The Meaford Fire Department will be working to ensure they are distributed into the community in 2023.
