Fire Services Throughout GTHA Participating

Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal has declared today, September 28, 2023, “Test Your Smoke Alarm Day,” encouraging everyone to press their smoke alarms’ test button and make sure they are in working order.

The OFM says last year, Ontario suffered 133 fire deaths – the worst in 20 years – and many of these fires were in homes with no working smoke alarm.

It’s been the law since 2006 for every home in Ontario to have working smoke alarms on every storey and outside all sleeping areas. However, Ontario’s Fire Marshal, Jon Pegg says they continue to see devastating fires. “Testing a smoke alarm takes less than one minute and is literally the easiest life-saving thing you can do to keep you and your family safe from fire,” Pegg said in a release.

With communities participating across the province, the launch of “Test Your Smoke Alarm Day” took place at Alvin Curling Public School in Scarborough with Pegg joined by Toronto Fire Services Chief Matthew Pegg. The school conducted a live fire drill and Public Educators from Toronto Fire Services were on hand to teach about the importance of a working smoke alarm.

“Being unprepared for a fire in your home can have devastating results for you and your family, including the loss of life,” says Toronto’s Chief Pegg, adding ‘’Having working smoke alarms, coupled with a practiced home escape plan is the best way to provide you and your family with the ability to escape quickly and survive a fire in your home.”

‘’Test Your Smoke Alarm Day” marks Ontario’s first day of action to promote installing and testing working smoke alarms in every home in Ontario and is part of a broader strategy by the OFM to bring attention to the importance of having working smoke alarms.