Fire chief stresses importance of working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Reminder comes following recent fire code violations

A recent Ontario Court of Justice conviction, together with $7,500 worth of fines, is serving as a reminder to St. Catharines homeowners, landlords and tenants of their responsibilities when it comes to fire safety, specifically the requirement for working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

On Jan. 12, 2022, the owner of a residential property at 5 Lucerne Pl. in St. Catharines plead guilty to three charges related to a failure to install working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, alongside a failure to ensure these alarms were maintained in working order. Fire Chief Dave Upper is reminding all homeowners, landlords and tenants that properly maintained and installed alarms are not only required by law, but they provide critical early warning that saves lives during emergencies.

Ontario law requires working smoke alarms on every storey of a home and outside all sleeping areas. The law also requires working carbon monoxide alarms outside sleeping areas in units where a fuel-burning appliance is installed or shares a common wall or floor with a service room containing such an appliance or an attached garage.

In a recent court appearance in Provincial Offences Court, the property owner and prosecutor for the City of St. Catharines arrived at a resolution, on a joint-submission basis, that led to the defendant facing three fines of $2,500, plus applicable court surcharges.

“Fire services across the province have been seeing a tragic increase in the case of fatal fires where people do not have working smoke alarms,” said Fire Chief Dave Upper. “Smoke alarms are the first line of defence in fire escape planning – properly installed and maintained they play a vital role in reducing fire deaths, injuries and property damage.”

Visit www.stcatharines.ca/Fire or call 905.688.5601, ext. 4224, for more information about fire safety for your property, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, provincial requirements and other home safety tips.