Every Second Counts – How good is your smoke alarm system?
Published March 15, 2011 | 
Every Second Counts – How good is your smoke alarm system?
An article in the Toronto Star on March 14, 2011 reported on an electrical fire that destroyed a family home in Sunderland, Ontario, northeast of Toronto.
We were so happy to read that the Toth family survived the fire that unfortunately destroyed their home of 23 years. The Toth family was able to escape only due to the quick action of their son. Sixteen year old Mitchell woke the family up when he could not breathe due to the heavy smoke in his room.
The cause of the fire was traced to an electrical problem in a wall.
There are two issues we can identify that should be looked at:
- Why the Smoke Alarm outside the bedrooms did not sound off.
- How did a fire start on an electrical circuit inside the wall? How could this have been prevented? [we will write an article on this issue at another time]
The Toronto Star article addresses the Smoke Alarm issue, the fact that the smoke alarm outside the bedrooms did not sound off, because the fire that started was too far away.
There is no question that working smoke alarms save lives. Statistics from the Ontario Fire Marshall’s Office indicate that in about 50% of fatal home fires, the victims had no smoke alarm warning. 64% of fatalities occur in areas where the response time is less than five minutes. These are sobering statistics.
On April 1, 2006 the smoke detector law came into effect in Ontario.
Minimum code is that every home must have a working smoke alarm on each level of the home, and outside of sleeping areas. Additionally, smoke alarms must be replaced every ten years (or sooner if required by the manufacturer). This is minimum code. Maybe it is time to consider that this is not enough.
Studies from the 1970’s show that it took 17 minutes from the time that a smoke alarm first sounded, until flashover, when the entire room bursts into flame. Today it takes only 3 minutes. This is because our “modern” homes are filled with plastics that burn twice as fast as wood, and release deadly toxic gases. Upholstered furniture and mattresses that contain quick burning materials are major culprits, as are electronics, toys and a range of household goods that are made of plastic. Most people die from smoke inhalation, not fire.
According to Bev Gilbert, manager of public education and media with the Ontario Fire Marshalls Office, “Those critical minutes are up to you. That’s why it’s so important to have smoke alarms,” he says. “Not just on every floor and outside of sleeping areas, as required by law five years ago, but in every bedroom as well.”
Don’t ever take your smoke alarms for granted. We recommend the following:
- If you don’t know how old your smoke alarms are, have them replaced.
- Make sure there is at least one working smoke alarm on each level of the home.
- Consider additional smoke alarms in each bedroom.
- Have them interconnected, so that no matter which smoke alarm first detects the smoke, each and every alarm in the home will sound.
(This protects your family, because even a fire that is originating in the basement will alert your family that is asleep on the second floor).
Homeowners hire unqualified contractors for dangerous work
Published July 15, 2010 | Study reveals unlicensed workers cost homeowners unnecessary time and money
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 24 /CNW/ – Almost half of Ontario homeowners allow an unqualified person or contractor to perform dangerous electrical work in their homes despite a law making it illegal to do so.
According to a recent Leger Marketing survey, 45 per cent of Ontario homeowners do not find it necessary to check the credentials of contractors before hiring them to perform electrical work, such as rewiring a fuse or breaker panel or adding new electrical receptacles or switches. In addition, more than 70 per cent of homeowners would allow a neighbour, friend or handyman to install a new light fixture for them, while 47 per cent would permit them to repair an electrical outlet and 43 per cent would let them wire an outdoor light timer – all of which are considered dangerous if not performed properly.
The data comes more than two years after the Ontario government passed a law requiring all contracted electrical work to be performed by a Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC). The law came into force in January 2007 in response to the increasing number of electrical incidents involving property damage, injury and death.
“We are concerned that Ontario homeowners continue to put the safety and lives of their loved ones at risk by not ensuring that the contractor they hire to do electrical work is qualified to do so,” says Lucy Impera, Registrar-Licensing & Certification of the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), the governing body that administers and enforces these licensing laws.
Homeowners’ impulse for hiring unlicensed contractors has cost them a significant amount of time and money. More than one-third of homeowners have had negative renovation experiences while an equal number have had to pay to fix improper electrical work.
“We understand today’s homeowners are looking to save money, but hiring an unlicensed person will inevitably lead to more costs down the road,” says Impera. “It’s better to hire someone who is licensed and insured to protect the safety of your family and property, right from the start.”
In the last ten years, 106 Ontarians have died as a result of electrocution. In addition, there have been 33,739 electrical fires reported by the Office of the Fire Marshal.
Homeowners looking for additional information on electrical safety requirements or for a list of LECs in their area can visit www.pluginsafely.ca.
For further information: Sonia Prashar, APEX Public Relations, T: (416) 924-4442 ext. 223, E: sprashar@apexpr.com
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