As part of Safe Community Project Zero, an initiative by the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council (FMPFSC) and Enbridge Gas Inc., the London Fire Department received 600 combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to distribute throughout the city.

London is one of 50 communities receiving these lifesaving devices from Enbridge Gas.

Safe Community Project Zero is focused on providing alarms for high-risk residents including the elderly, those with disabilities, or those with financial challenges. The fire department has partnered with London housing stability services to ensure marginalized members of the community are protected from fire and carbon monoxide.

Mayor Josh Morgan paid a visit to the London Fire Department to highlight the importance of this initiative.

“Not only is it important to give access to these important life saving devices, but also the education on the importance of ensuring that they are kept up to date, that they’re in proper working order, to keep everyone who is living in that home safe and stable,” he said.

After the announcement, Sonja Sonnenberg, manager of Housing First for St Leonard’s Community Services, had her car filled to the brim with smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to distribute throughout the community.

Sonnenberg said St. Leonard’s Project Home team helps marginalized people who are experiencing homelessness receive proper housing. They visit their clients on a monthly basis and speak to them about the importance of fire safety and ensure their detectors are working.

“All too often, homes are found to be without working alarms, or some even have expired, or alarms that don’t work,” said Jamie Kovacs, executive director of FMPFSC.

Functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are absolutely essential, according to the professionals at the London Fire Department.

“We’ve seen fires recently in different cities where there were not working smoke alarms and unfortunately people lost their lives,” said Deputy Fire Chief Matt Hepditch. “We can’t stress how important it is to have those working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms in your home. It’s vital.”

Richard Hayes, the London Fire Department’s Deputy Fire Chief, Operations, shared a story from Tuesday night to highlight the importance of equipping homes with alarms.

“We ended up with a call into a residence that had a boiler system that malfunctioned. Their alarm set off to indicate that carbon monoxide poisoning, or carbon monoxide leak was occurring in the home,” he explained. “As it was, our fire crews were able to gain entry into the home and recorded deadly levels of carbon monoxide. That would’ve been a disaster for that family. It would have wiped them out that night.”

London’s deputy fire chiefs shared some of the most frequent causes of the residential fires and carbon monoxide leaks they see.

Fires are most often started by cooking, electrical, and heating appliances. Carbon monoxide, on the other hand, is produced through incomplete combustion. The poisonous gas can come from a hot water heater, a furnace, or things you may find in the garage like vehicles, propane-powered fire tables, or barbecues.

Preventative measures should be paired with functioning smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in the home. Adrian Hartley, the supervisor of London operations for Enbridge Gas, recommends having fuel-burning appliances inspected annually by a qualified technician.

Safe Community Project Zero was established in 2009, and since its launch, Enbridge Gas has donated more than 76,000 alarms to Ontario communities and dedicated a total of $2.2 million dollars. The goal of this initiative is to bring residential fire and carbon monoxide deaths to zero.

For more information about fire and carbon monoxide safety, visit the website of the Ontario Fire Marshal or London Fire Department.

Locals are also welcome to call the London Fire Department and speak with one of their inspectors or the Public Fire and Life Safety Educator for more information.