SMOKE ALARMS-IT'S THE LAW-

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SMOKE ALARMS
A smoke alarm in every room will provide the fastest detection to a fire. 85% of all fire deaths and injuries occur in homes where there are no working smoke alarms. Remember only a working smoke alarm can save your life.

Under the Ontario Fire Code, every home in Ontario is required to have working smoke alarms installed between sleeping and living areas. Homeowners must ensure that smoke alarms are installed on every level of a home and are required to maintain the smoke alarms in working order.

In rental accommodations, the obligation to install and maintain smoke alarms in operating condition falls to the landlord. Landlords must provide smoke alarm maintenance information to the occupant of each unit.

It is an offence for any person to disable a smoke alarm. This requirement applies equally to homeowners, landlords and tenants.

Maintenance
The smoke alarm should be tested regularly. Remember to check the batteries in your smoke alarm. Vacuum out the dust and change the batteries every spring and fall when you adjust your clocks for daylight savings time.

NOTE: smoke alarms do not last forever…they should be replaced after ten years. Replace smoke alarms that malfunction in any way.

Any questions, contact your local fire department.

Ionization
The ionization alarm uses a small amount of radioactive material to make the air within a sensing chamber conduct electricity. When very small smoke particles enter the sensing chamber, they interfere with the conduction of electricity, reducing the current and triggering the alarm. The particles to which the alarm responds are often smaller than can be seen with the human eye. Because the greatest number of these invisible particles are produced by flaming fires, ionization detectors respond slightly faster to open flaming fires than do photo electronic alarms.

Photo Electronic
The photo electric alarm uses a small light source - either an incandescent bulb or light-emitting diode (LED) - that shines its light into a dark sensing chamber. The sensing chamber also contains an electrical, light-sensitive component known as a photocell. The light source and photocell are arranged so that light from the source does not normally strike the photocell. When smoke particles enter the sensing chamber of the photoelectric alarm, the light is reflected off the surface of the smoke particle, allowing it to strike the photocell and increase the voltage from the photocell. When the voltage reaches a predetermined level, the alarm activates.

Power Supply
Batteries or household current can power residential smoke alarm. Battery-operation detectors offer the advantage of easy installation - a screwdriver and a few minutes are all that are needed. Battery models are lso independent of house power circuits and will operate during power failures. It is critical that only the specific battery recommended by the alarm manufacturer be used for replacement.

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CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless and deadly gas. It is almost the same density of air, not heavier or lighter, so it mixes freely with it. Because you can't see, taste or smell it, carbon monoxide can kill you before you know it's present. CO is breathed in and bonds with the haemoglobin in your blood, displacing the oxygen you need. It will eventually displace enough to suffocate you from the inside out, resulting in death or brain injury.

Where does Carbon Monoxide come from?
It is a by-product of anything that burns. It comes from gas or oil fired appliances such as furnaces, dryers, stoves, water heaters, fireplaces and barbecues. It can also come from wood burning stoves and fireplaces and automobile engines.

What are the symptoms?
Symptoms can be mistaken for those accompanying the flu. They may include headache, fatigue, nausea, dizzy spells, and confusion. If you feel better after being away from the house for a period of time, you could be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Look for a detector that is ULC listed to the Canadian Gas Association (CGA) standard #619. The ULC mark guarantees that the product has passed tests in the areas of performance, safety and accuracy. Leamington Fire Services recommends that you purchase a detector with a L.E.D. read out and battery backup.

Where do I put my Carbon Monoxide detector.
Near the sleeping area, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which recommends at least one detector per household. A second detector located near the home's heating source adds an extra measure of safety.

What should I do if the alarm sounds?
Contact the fire department immediately by calling 911. Open the windows and doors to ventilate your home and wait outside. Many people ignore their alarm but because the gas is odourless and colourless, you will not be able to detect it.

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
Fire extinguishers are for use in small fires only. Never place yourself or others in harms way by attempting to extinguish a fire that is too large or if smoke presents a hazard to the operator. If there is a fire, sound the alarm, get everyone out. Try to confine and contain the fire by closing the door to the room. Always call the fire department from a safe location.

Purchasing fire extinguishers
Buy only a fire extinguisher that has been approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory (U.L.C.). Class A and B fire extinguishers carry a numerical rating that indicates how large a fire a person can safely put out with the extinguisher. For commercial locations, contact the fire department for the correct size and location of extinguishers.

Leamington Fire Services does not sell or refill fire extinguishers. Check your yellow pages under “Fire Equipment”.

The ABC’s of Fire Extinguishers

Class A extinguishes ordinary combustibles or fibrous materials such as wood, paper, cloth, rubber and some plastics, etc.

Class B extinguishes flammable or combustible liquids such as fuel, oil, gasoline, kerosene, paint, paint thinners, solvents, etc.

Class C extinguishers are used for energized electrical equipment such as appliances, switches, wiring, fuse boxes, electrical motors, power tools, panel boxes, etc.

Class D fires are combustible metals such as magnesium, sodium, titanium and potassium that burn at high temperatures. They may react violently with water or other chemicals and must be handled with care.

Class K extinguishers are used for large quantity cooking oil fires. They are found in restaurant and food processing facilities.

How to use a portable fire extinguisher

Remember the acronym P.A.S.S.

P- Pull the pin
A- Aim the extinguisher
S- Squeeze the trigger while holding the extinguisher upright
S- Sweep the surface from side to side, covering the area of the fire with the fire extinguisher agent

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