Centre Wellington Fire Rescue Urges Residents to Practice Fire Safety

CENTRE WELLINGTON – The Township of Centre Wellington and Centre Wellington Fire Rescue are reminding all residents that working smoke alarms save lives.

“Fire alarms are your first line of defence in a fire, protecting your home and family,” says Deputy Fire Chief Jason Benn. “Just as important is having a home escape plan – knowing what to do and where to go in case of a fire.”

As part of ongoing fire safety education efforts, CW Fire Rescue is highlighting key smoke alarm safety messages every household should follow:

• Install smoke alarms on every story of your home and outside all sleeping areas.
• Test smoke alarms at least once per month by pressing the test button.
• Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm at least once per year, or as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Never remove batteries from a smoke alarm to stop it from beeping – the sound is alerting you to a problem that needs your attention.
• Know the sounds: a consistent 3-beep, pause, repeat, means there may be smoke or fire; a single chirp every 30-60 seconds often means the battery is low.
• Replace your smoke alarm every 10 years, or sooner if it is not working properly.

In addition to installing and maintaining working smoke alarms, residents are encouraged to prepare and practice a home fire escape plan. Your plan should include knowing two ways out of every room, having a designated meeting spot outside, and practicing the escape plan with your family.

If your smoke alarm sounds:

• Get outside and stay outside.
• Call 9-1-1 from a safe location.
• Do not go back inside until firefighters say it’s safe to do so.

Smoke alarms are not optional – they are required by law in all homes in Ontario. If you are a renter, landlords are responsible for ensuring their rental properties have working alarms, and tenants must not tamper with them.

Join Us for the “Saved by the Beep” Campaign – September 28

Every year on September 28, is the province-wide “Saved by the Beep” educational campaign – promoting the importance of having and maintaining working smoke alarms.

Residents are encouraged to test their smoke alarms at home on this day and share their participation online by using the hashtag #SavedByTheBeep. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.savedbythebeep.ca

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For more information:

Hannah Barclay | Digital Media Associate

Township of Centre Wellington | 1 MacDonald Square, Elora, ON N0B 1S0

519-846-9691 x221

hbarclay@centrewellington.ca