‘Lifesaving program’ offers free smoke alarms
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/06/2023 (1103 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Homeowners in Manitoba who do not have a working smoke alarm can apply to receive one and have it installed free of charge.
Smoke alarms save lives and are essential for home fire safety, according to Martin Johnson, the head of the Firefighters’ Burn Fund of Manitoba, which is partnering with the Manitoba government and the Office of the Fire Commissioner to offer the Smoke Alarm for Every Family (S.A.F.E. Family) program.
Johnson worked for the Winnipeg Fire Department for 41 years and is the co-founder of the Firefighters Burn Fund, which has helped provide more than 7,500 smoke alarms to eligible Manitoba homes since 2015.
“It’s a lifesaving program,” said Johnson. “If you don’t have a smoke alarm in your home and if you’re sleeping, you are vulnerable. And if you can’t get around as well as you used to, it could be fatal.”
During the 2023 S.A.F.E Family program launch, provincial Municipal Relations Minister Andrew Smith reminded Manitobans that smoke alarms need to be properly installed, equipped with functioning batteries, and within their 10-year service life.
“The risk of dying in a reported home fire is reduced 50 per cent in homes with working smoke alarms,” said Smith.
Another 1,250 smoke alarms will be made available for homes across the province as part of the program.
Fire departments will focus on identifying homes with at-risk residents including older adults, newcomers to Canada, young children, people with disabilities, and low-income families.
The S.A.F.E. Family program is only for owner-occupied homes, since landlords are legally responsible for installing and maintaining smoke alarms in rental units as per Fire Prevention By-Law 35-2017.
Under the Manitoba Fire Code bylaw, each residential dwelling unit must have at least one functioning smoke alarm installed between the bedrooms and the living area.
The S.A.F.E. Family Program will install one smoke alarm in that location, but if there is a bedroom on another floor, a second alarm will be installed outside of it.
For more information about the S.A.F.E. Family program, contact a local fire department or visit manitoba.ca/safefamily.
» The Brandon Sun