Daylight Savings Time starts this Sunday at 2 a.m., when we set our clocks ahead by one hour. Now is also a good time to replace the old batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Fire departments are reminding us that having working smoke alarms on every floor of your home is not only the law, it's a significant factor in surviving a house fire. Statistics from the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal reveal that in 36 per cent of fatal residential fires, there was no smoke alarm warning. Of 27,000 house fires between 2009 and 2013, there were no working smoke alarms in 18 per cent of them.
Fire prevention officers also recommend that families practice fire drills in their homes the same way they are practiced in schools and workplaces. Every household should have a fire escape plan that outlines two ways out of every room as well as a designated safe meeting place outside to ensure that every occupant has escaped a fire.
