An amendment to the Ontario Fire Code that increases the number of working smoke alarms required in every residence is now in effect.
Homes are already required to have a working smoke alarm outside every sleeping area. Effective March 1, residents must also install a working smoke alarm in every storey of their home. This amendment applies to single family, semi-detached and town houses, whether owner-occupied or rented.
"Approximately 50 percent of all fire deaths occur in homes where there are no working smoke alarms," Greater Sudbury fire chief Donald Donaldson said in a news release. "Fires can start anywhere. Having a working smoke alarm on every level of your home, from an unfinished basement to a finished attic, can help detect fires earlier so that you and your family will have more time to reach safety."
Tenants of rental properties are encouraged to contact their landlords immediately, if they do not have the required number of smoke alarms. Owners of rental units risk a $25,000 penalty for failure to comply with Ontario Fire Code requirements for smoke alarms.
Once smoke alarms are installed, tenants who remove the batteries or tamper with the alarm in any other manner could be subject to a $235 ticket. Homeowners who do not have the required number of smoke alarms also risk a $235 ticket.
