CALGARY – Calgary’s Fire Department is kicking off its biggest smoke alarm blitz ever as crews are continue to be concerned over the many homes that still don’t have them.
Fire officials are going door to door checking homes for the appropriate number of smoke detectors, testing to make sure they are working properly and are up to date. This year they’re starting in the northeast community of Marlborough.
Erika Hodgson received two new smoke detectors on Monday as well as an important message.
"Well they came in and were surprised we only had the one smoke detector. So they installed one upstairs and downstairs. The other issue they found was it was older than 10 years old."
Erika’s oversight highlights two common problems that is leading to installation after installation. Smoke detectors are placed on every floor of every home in the community free of charge. No matter how tedious it sounds, fire officials say it’s worth the lives it could save. In 2009 alone, there were seven fire related deaths and 63 injuries, the highest number since 2006.
Unfortunately, Calgary Fire says it’s rare to find a perfect home.
“What we want people to do is check their smoke detectors once a month and we change our batteries once a year,” says Murray Pound, Home Builders’ Association.
This year, the Province was in attendance at Calgary’s kick-off event as Alberta Fire Commissioner Trent West joined Fire Chief Burrell in the home inspection and residential alarm installation.
The smoke alarm blitz will continue throughout the year, with each fire station conducting random visits and smoke alarm checks around the city.
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