The City of Windsor joins communities across the province on Sunday, asking residents to test their smoke alarms to ensure they're still working.
September 28 is "Test Your Smoke Alarm Day."
"Being prepared for a fire starts with pressing the test button and knowing your smoke alarm works," said Windsor Fire Chief Jamie Waffle. "Test alarms monthly, replace batteries yearly, and replace alarms every ten years. It saves lives."
The province has seen an upward trend in fatal residential fires since 2020. Many could have been prevented if a working smoke alarm had been present in the home.
So far this year, there have been 92 fire fatalities in Ontario.
"The increased number of fatal fires and fire deaths across the province is extremely concerning," added Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg. "Whether people have a false sense of safety or the mistaken belief that fire will not happen to them, too many homes in the province lack basic protection against a fatal fire: a working smoke alarm."
By law, smoke alarms are required on each story of your home and outside all sleeping areas.
