Enbridge Gas Inc. and Peterborough Fire Services have partnered to improve home safety and bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths down to zero with the Safe Community Project Zero, announced at the Peterborough Fire Services Station # 3 on Monday.
“Last year there were 133 fire fatalities in the province – the most in 20 years,” says Fire Chief Chris Snetsinger. “As part of Project Zero, we are encouraging everyone to learn more about smoke alarms, fire safety, and home fire escape planning which can save the lives of you and your loved ones. Only working smoke alarms will alert us in the event of a fire. We need to have them, and they need to work. These alarms will help us get them into the homes that need them most.”
Peterborough Fire Services received 324 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms through Safe Community Project Zero–a public education campaign that will provide more than 10,000 alarms to residents in 50 municipalities across Ontario according to a press release.
It was reported by The City of Peterborough that Enbridge Gas invested $315,000 in Safe Community Project Zero, and over the past 15 years, the program has provided more than 86,000 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 as stated in a press release.
“Properly maintaining fuel burning equipment is the best way to reduce potential exposure to carbon monoxide, and an alarm is a critical second line of defense for protection,” said Ian Moase, manager operations of Enbridge Gas.” When we implement these strategies together, we protect our loved ones from carbon monoxide poisoning, also known as the silent killer.”