Smoke Alarms
If this is an emergency, dial 9-1-1. Do not wait.
Saved by the Beep
Oshawa Fire Services is encouraging residents and property owners to test their smoke alarms this month for their chance to win Oshawa Generals tickets!
Last year there were more fire fatalities in Ontario than in the last 20 years. As a result, Fire Services province-wide are hosting the inaugural Test Your Smoke Alarm Day on Thursday, September 28 to raise awareness about the importance of smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms should be installed on every storey and outside all sleeping areas of your home – you could be saved by the beep!
Saved by the Beep Photo Challenge
This month, test your smoke alarm and snap a photo for your chance to win! Share your photo with the City of Oshawa in one of the following ways before 11:59 p.m. Thursday, September 28 to enter the draw:
- Tweet your photo using the hashtag #SavedByTheBeep and tag @OshawaFire; or,
- Post a photo or story using the hashtag #SavedByTheBeep and tag @CityofOshawa on Instagram.
Not on social media? That's okay! Send your photo to [email protected] with the subject line #SavedByTheBeep.
Saved by the Beep Draw Rules and Conditions |
Community members who share a photograph with the City of Oshawa of themselves testing their smoke alarm through Twitter, Instagram or email between 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, September 7, 2023 and 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, September 28, 2023 (the “Deadline”), will have the opportunity to enter a prize draw (the "Saved by the Beep Draw") for the chance to win the one (1) of three (3) sets of four (4) tickets to the Oshawa Generals hockey game on Friday, October 13, 2023, at the Tribute Communities Centre. Rules and Conditions for Saved by the Beep DrawThe Saved by the Beep Draw is open to anyone 18 years of age or older who is an Oshawa resident, business or property owner or a student enrolled at a post-secondary institution in Oshawa who submits a photograph for the Saved by the Beep photograph challenge (“Entrant”). Entrants may enter the Saved by the Beep Draw between 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, September 7, 2023 and 11:59 p.m. Thursday, September 28, 2023 by:
Note: Entrants may need to have public accounts for the City to see their social media submissions. Entries that the City cannot see through its accounts due to privacy settings will not be considered draw entries. Entrants may receive up to three draw entries (one for each of the above acceptable submission methods). Photographs shall not contain any identifiable individuals in them other than the Entrant themselves. The photograph submitted must be the sole creation of the Entrant. Accordingly, photographs shall not contain any content taken from the Internet, copyrighted material or which otherwise incorporate another person's work. The photograph must be taken during the time of the contest September 7, 2023, 12:01 a.m. to September 28, 2023, 11:59 p.m. No purchase is required to enter the Saved by the Beep Draw. By participating in the Saved by the Beep Draw, the Entrant acknowledges and agrees that City staff may screen all entries prior to inclusion, and the City in its sole discretion reserves the right to reject any entry for any reasons, including but not limited to, vulgarity, obscenity, any form of criminal activity, multiple entries, and any violation of these rules and conditions, without any notice or reasons to the Entrant. The winners of the Saved by the Beep Draw ticket prizes will be selected by random draw. The odds of being selected to win a set of tickets will depend on the total number of eligible entries received by the Deadline. No more than one (1) prize will be awarded to a single person. The potential winner will be contacted by the City through the method of their submission (Twitter, Instagram or Email) on Monday, October 2, 2023 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and receive instructions at that time regarding how to claim the tickets. Prior to claiming the tickets, a potential winner must show valid government-issued photo identification, and any other information required, to City staff containing a current photograph, name and address, or an Oshawa post-secondary institution student card to confirm their identity and eligibility for the Saved by the Beep Draw. Employees of the City of Oshawa are not eligible for the Saved by the Beep Draw prize. Substitution prizes are not available and the tickets are, non-transferable and is not redeemable for cash. By participating in the Saved by the Beep Draw, Entrants agree that all decisions of the City in relation to the Saved by the Beep Draw, including the determination and awarding of the tickets, are in the City's sole and absolute discretion and are both final and binding upon the Entrant. The City reserves the right to cancel the Saved by the Beep Draw at any time for any reason without further notice and without any compensation to any person. The Entrant acknowledges and agrees that as a condition of accepting the tickets, the Entrant agrees to indemnify the City from and against any and all actions, charges, claims, costs, damages, demands, liabilities, losses, suits, proceedings, costs and expenses, including, but not limited to, claims for personal injury or for property damage, resulting from or relating to the Entrant's participation in the photograph challenge, the Saved by the Beep Draw or the acceptance, use or misuse of the tickets by the Entrant or any other person. By participating in the Saved by the Beep Draw, the Entrant hereby releases and holds harmless the City from any and all actions, charges, claims, costs, damages, demands, liabilities, losses, suits, proceedings, costs and expenses, including, but not limited to, claims for personal injury or for property damage, resulting from or relating to the photograph challenge, the Saved by the Beep Draw or the acceptance, use or misuse of the tickets. By participating in the photograph challenge or the Saved by the Beep Draw, the Entrant acknowledges and agrees that personal information may be collected and disclosed by the City pursuant to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, as amended. By participating in the photograph challenge, the Entrant hereby gives The Corporation of the City of Oshawa (the “City”), its employees, agents, assigns and legal representatives the irrevocable right to use their name and/or social media handle as well as their submitted photograph, (collectively, “Their Image”) in all forms and manner, including but not limited to, publication on City-owned and non-City-owned property, print media, digital media, the Internet, social media sites, media releases and broadcasts, without further notification to the Entrant. The Entrant understands that the City cannot control unauthorized use of Their Image once Their Image has been published. The Entrant hereby forever waives any right to inspect or approve any publication of Their Image by the City. The Entrant hereby forever releases and waives any and all claims the Entrant may have or ever have against the City, its elected officials, employees, agents, assigns and legal representatives for the use of Their Image. The Entrant has carefully reviewed and understands the above provisions and agree to be bound by them. The Entrant voluntarily and irrevocably gives their consent and agrees to this release and waiver. The Entrant acknowledges and agrees that the City of Oshawa may contact the Entrant with respect to the Saved by the Beep Draw by social media, email or phone. The Entrant acknowledges and agrees that the Entrant shall be entitled to no compensation for the Entrant's participation in either the photograph challenge, the Saved by the Beep Draw, or any of the City’s advertising and/or publicity purposes related to photograph challenge and/or the Saved by the Beep Draw. By participating in the Saved by the Beep Draw, the Entrant represents and warrants that the Entrant has read and understood and agrees to be bound by these Saved by the Beep Draw Rules and Conditions. |
It's the law
The Ontario Fire Code makes it mandatory to have working smoke alarms in every home, on every level, and outside all sleeping areas. This applies to all single-family, semi-detached and townhomes, whether owner-occupied or rented.
It is the responsibility of homeowners to install and maintain smoke alarms. It is the responsibility of landlords to ensure their rental properties comply with the law.
If you are a rental property tenant and do not have the required number of smoke alarms, contact your landlord immediately. It is against the law for tenants to remove the batteries or tamper with the alarm in any way.
Failure to comply with the Fire Code smoke alarm requirements could result in a ticket for $360 or a fine of up to $50,000 for individuals or $100,000 for corporations.
A working smoke alarm can save lives in the event of a fire in your home.
Did you know that 90% of residential fires are preventable? In Oshawa, from 2009 to 2012, only 39% of buildings where fires occurred had working smoke alarms. Out of those fires:
- 15% of buildings where a fire occurred had smoke alarms that did not operate
- 19% of buildings where a fire occurred, no smoke alarm was present
Change your clock, change your battery
To make sure that the batteries are always fresh, change the battery in your smoke alarm when you change your clock in the spring and fall.
Test your smoke alarm
To ensure your smoke alarm is working, test it once a month by pushing the test button. If you think your smoke alarms are more than 10 years old, replace them with new ones.
Make sure everyone in the household knows what to do if the smoke alarm sounds. Develop a home fire escape plan and practice it with the entire household.
Safety Tips
Install smoke alarms on every storey of your home, including the basement.
- Follow every step of the manufacturer's directions when you install your smoke alarms
- Follow directions for testing and cleaning them
- Change batteries as recommended
- Never "borrow" batteries from your smoke alarm for another device
- Replace any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old
Dealing with nuisance alarms
Only working smoke alarms save lives.
- Never remove the batteries from smoke alarms
- If you have problems with nuisance alarms, try relocating them or buying an alarm with a hush feature to silence the alarm temporarily
- If your smoke alarm goes off when cooking or showering, do not remove the battery. There are solutions to deal with the problem, that include:
- Keep stove and burners clean
- Adjust the timer setting on the toaster
- Use the range hood fan when cooking
- Turn on the bathroom fans while taking a shower
- Install smoke alarms with the hush button that will temporarily silence the alarm. The smoke alarm will re-set itself after several minutes
- Move smoke alarms that are too close to the kitchen or bathrooms to a different location
- Try replacing ionization smoke alarms near the kitchen and bathrooms with photoelectric smoke alarms
- Replace smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old
Choose the right alarms
Smoke alarms are available with different features and applications. It may be confusing to know if you are choosing the right alarm. Consider selecting an alarm with the following features:
Power Source
Smoke alarms can be electrically powered, battery powered or both. If you are installing an electrically powered alarm, it is recommended that it have a battery back up in case of power failures.
Technology
Most smoke alarms employ either ionization or photoelectric technology. Ionization alarms may respond slightly faster to flaming-type fires, while photoelectric alarms may be quicker at detecting slow, smouldering fires.
Pause feature
Smoke alarms with a pause button are recommended so the alarm can be silenced for a short time without disconnecting the power source.
Install in the proper locations
Smoke alarms must be installed on each storey of the home and outside sleeping areas. Because smoke rises, smoke alarms need to be installed on the ceiling. If this is not possible, install the alarm high up on a wall. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions when installing smoke alarms.
Avoid putting smoke alarms close to bathrooms, windows, ceiling fans and heating and cooking appliances.