Help prevent costly and dangerous false alarms
Oshawa Fire Services is calling on residents to ensure their smoke detectors are in proper working order to help prevent false alarms. Last year saw firefighters answer more than 800 such calls.
Oshawa Fire Services is calling on residents to ensure their smoke detectors and other detection and suppression systems are in working order to help prevent false alarms.
Last year saw 829 false alarms for Oshawa Fire Services, with many attributed to “improper installation, maintenance or malicious activations of fire detection and suppression systems,” according to a news release. False alarms such as these can delay responses to actual emergencies.
“Oshawa Fire Services respond to fire alarms as they receive them, but responding to false alarms take them away from actual emergencies which could cost lives”, states Councillor Bob Chapman, chair of the community services committee, in the same release.
“Please ensure fire alarms are only activated when needed for a real emergency”.
Property owners are currently permitted two false alarms per calendar year that are free of charge. After that, false alarms are invoiced at $459 plus HST per responding vehicle.
For more information on Oshawa Fire Services, please visit oshawa.ca/fire.