Windsor firefighters are hitting the streets attempting to get the message across about the importance of having working smoke alarms.
The firefighters will be knocking on doors and asking to go inside people’s homes as part of the Wake Up, Get a Working Smoke Alarm program. Click here to see if they are visiting your area on Tuesday night.
The home visits will be conducted over a five-year period in six-week blitzes during the spring and fall. They will install a smoke alarm if necessary and provide coupons if more alarms are needed.
“It’s only the first day of the program, and we’re already making a difference,” says Fire Chief Bruce Montone. “We’ve been able to share critical information and help some of our residents outfit their home with working smoke alarms for greater safety and compliance. That’s exactly what we wanted to do.”
About 40 per cent of all homes Windsor firefighters were called to over the last few years did not have up-to-code smoke detectors and in some cases they say lives that could have been saved were lost.
"We have a lot of fires in Windsor and a lot of times, we're getting there pretty late," says firefighter Lindsay Tod. “We can't stop a fire from happening, but we can get their earlier.”
Windsor residents Hugo and Danae Vega got a new alarm through the initiative. The couple hadn't thought about installing a smoke detector on the main floor of the home they just purchased six months ago.
“We assumed that the previous home owners had it up to standards so we didn't even think of it," says Hugo Vega.
Hugo Vega works at the YMCA, which will be helping new Canadians understand the importance of this program.
"Beyond just a language barrier and the cultural differences, they come from countries where the standards aren't the same," says Hugo Vega.
