Enbridge partners with Fire Department, donates life saving fire and carbon monoxide detectors

Back row (left to right): Jamie Kovacs, Executive Director, Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council; Desirée Swance, Advisor, Municipal and Stakeholder Engagement, Enbridge Gas; County of Brant Mayor David Bailey; Fire Chief Darren Watson, County of Brant; Cindy Stevenson, General Manager of Emergency and Protective Services, County of Brant; Michael Owen, Chief Fire Prevention Officer, County of Brant.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

The County of Brant Fire Department is partnering with Enbridge Gas Ontario and the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council to improve home safety and reduce fire- and carbon monoxide-related deaths to zero.

The collaboration was announced Dec. 10 and includes the distribution of combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms through Safe Community Project Zero, a provincewide public education campaign.

As part of the initiative, the County of Brant Fire Department received 264 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. The broader campaign will provide more than 14,200 alarms to residents in 75 communities across Ontario.

This year, Enbridge Gas invested $450,000 in Safe Community Project Zero. Over the past 17 years, the program has supplied more than 115,000 alarms to Ontario fire departments.

When properly installed and maintained, combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms provide early warning to allow occupants to safely escape a house fire or carbon monoxide exposure. Carbon monoxide is a toxic, odourless gas produced by the incomplete combustion of common fuels.

“Carbon monoxide alarms play a vital role as a second line of defence against this invisible threat, often called ‘the silent killerʼ,” says Desirée Swance, Advisor, Municipal and Stakeholder Engagement, Enbridge Gas. “Proper maintenance of fuel-burning appliances is the most effective way to prevent carbon monoxide exposure. We’re proud to support our communities by raising awareness and helping Ontarians take simple, proactive steps to stay safe in their homes.”

“Each day, fire departments focus their efforts on educating the public about the importance of having working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their home. The objective of Safe Community Project Zero, is to deliver these alarms to areas where they are needed most,” says Jon Pegg, Ontario Fire Marshal and Chair of the FMPFSC. “It is a program that not only helps fire departments raise awareness about the legal requirement to have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms installed in all Ontario homes, but also reinforces the critical role they play in saving lives.”

“Having the right safety tools in place can save lives, and this contribution helps us get them where they’re needed most,” says Darren Watson, Fire Chief for the County of Brant. “It’s a meaningful step toward reducing preventable emergencies in our community and we are so grateful.”

“The Safe Community Project Zero campaign aims to help our most vulnerable residents receive free smoke and CO alarms which can help save lives,” says MPP Will Bouma, Brantford-Brant. “Through community partnerships and collaboration, this program will help raise awareness for the importance of having working smoke and CO alarms in homes. With the crucial efforts made through this campaign and our community partners, I believe that tragic fire and carbon monoxide related deaths can be reduced.”

The County of Brant Fire Department operates eight stations across the county, providing fire prevention, public education and emergency response services supported by a fleet that includes pumpers, tankers, an aerial truck, rescue boats and ATVs.

The Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council was established in 1993 and works to promote fire prevention and public education through partnerships and sponsorships across Ontario.

Enbridge Gas Ontario is Canada’s largest natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company, delivering energy to more than four million customers across the province.