West Kelowna Fire Rescue and Westbank First Nation personnel went door to door last week for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, Don’t Wait – Check the Date!
Fire personnel visited two mobile home parks ensuring residents had working smoke alarms and checking the smoke alarm manufacturer replacement dates.
"The results of this initiative showed that 63 per cent of the homes visited did not have a smoke alarm present, or had alarms that were either not working or expired," said Kelly Wilson, West Kelowna's Fire and Life Safety Educator, in a press release.
For those homes without protection, fire personnel installed maintenance free 10 year smoke and carbon monoxide alarms at no cost to the resident.
Working smoke alarms save lives, reduce fire-related injury, reduce the spread of fires, and reduce the damage of fires. Each year, three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working smoke alarms. The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms. This year’s Fire Prevention Week Campaign, “Don’t Wait – Check the Date! focuses on replacement of smoke alarms every 10 years.
Make sure you know how old all the smoke alarms are in your home. To find out how old a smoke alarm is, look at the date of manufacture on the back of the alarm; the alarm should be replaced 10 years after that date.
West Kelowna Fire Rescue, serving the City of West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation, is committed to ensuring all residents are protected by a working smoke alarm.
If you are unsure of the status of your smoke alarms, we can help. Please contact West Kelowna Fire Rescue at 778-797-3200.