The Clarence-Rockland (C-R) Fire Department plans to knock on 1,000 doors across the municipality by the end of October, educating residents on the importance of checking their smoke alarms and ensuring they are in working order.
Launch on Aug. 1, the goal of the ‘Get Out Alive” initiative is to ensure that homes are equipped with working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on every floor.
“We encourage all residents to warmly welcome our firefighters, “said Mario Villeneuve, director of protective fire services and C-R fire chief. “Their visit is aimed at ensuring your safety by checking and educating about the importance of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.”
If residents are not home, a door hanger with a QR code will be left behind. This QR code will provide information and a survey. Residents who complete the survey will be eligible to enter a draw to win a gift certificate.
“The COVID-19 pandemic really measured the importance of this program” said Charles Gagnon, acting division chief of Fire Prevention and Public Education with the City of C-R. “Before the pandemic, there was anywhere between 80 and 100 fatalities from fires a year. That number increased during the pandemic, and in 2022, we saw a record of 133 fatal fires.”
Gagnon noted that the campaign wasn’t running during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and was reinstated in 2022, with the Ontario Marshall mandating a door-to-door campaign to inform residents on the importance of making sure these safety devices are working, because they can be lifesaving.
He said that the Clarence-Rockland Fire Department is targeting older homes in areas across C-R including Rockland, St. Pascal-Baylon, Bourget and Cheney.
“A new home that was built in the past five years, is likely compliant with the necessary codes,” said Gagnon. “Some of the older homes might have alarms that are not working anymore, and people might not know about it. Or they have alarms that are older. They might be more at risk.”
Gagnon said it’s important for people to test their smoke alarms monthly, and also replace them every 10 years.
Firefighters will ask residents to test their smoke alarms while at the door.
For more information, visit www.clarence-rockland.com/en/vivre-ici/prevention-and-education.aspx.
