Fire Prevention Week: Promoting Safety and Awareness in Our Community

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As Fire Prevention Week 2024 begins, Windsor Fire & Rescue Services is issuing an urgent call to action: ensure every home has working smoke alarms. With fire-related fatalities remaining at a high level since 2020, this year's theme, "Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work for You!™," serves as a critical reminder that lives depend on it.

Following the success of last month's "Test Your Smoke Alarm Day," Windsor Fire & Rescue Services encourages residents to make fire safety a year-round habit. The reality is that most deadly fires happen in homes without working smoke alarms. It is the law in Ontario to have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas — don’t wait until it’s too late.

Residents should take the following actions to ensure their family is safe:

Install smoke alarms outside each sleeping area, and on every storey of the home, including the basement.
Test smoke alarms monthly by pressing the test button.
Replace smoke alarm batteries at least once a year.
Replace any alarm that is over 10 years old or does not respond during testing.
Practise a home fire escape plan regularly to ensure everyone knows how to evacuate safely in an emergency.

"Working smoke alarms provide the early warning needed to escape a fire safely," said Windsor Fire Chief Stephen Laforet. "Ensuring they are working can prevent tragedies and save lives."

Most deadly fires happen at night when families are asleep. In many cases, victims never wake up. A working smoke alarm may be the only thing standing between you and tragedy.

Ontarians are reminded that having working smoke alarms on every storey of your home, along with a well-practised home fire escape plan, is the best way to ensure your entire household is prepared to escape a fire in your home safely.

Additional Quotes

“Every working smoke alarm is a potential lifesaver. In a fire, seconds matter, and the early warning provided by these devices can be the difference between life and death.”
— Jon Pegg, Ontario Fire Marshal

“In too many cases, we’ve seen lives lost that could have been saved by something as simple as a working smoke alarm. It’s a small device with the power to prevent unimaginable loss.”
— Fire Chief Laforet

Windsor Fire & Rescue Services is organizing a variety of events during Fire Prevention Week:

Sunday, October 6, 2024

8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. - CIBC Run for the Cure at Festival Plaza

Monday, October 7, 2024

11:00 a.m. Fire Prevention Week Kickoff at Fire Headquarters, 815 Goyeau Street

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Crews will be bagging groceries and handing out free grocery tote bags at the following locations:

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. FreshCo at 300 Tecumseh Road East
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Food Basics at 2750 Tecumseh Road East
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Remark Fresh Markets at 2727 Howard Avenue

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Coffee with the residents at Chartwell Royal Marquis Retirement Residence at 590 Grand Marais Road East

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Open house at all fire station locations:

Station #1 – 815 Goyeau Street plus Meet the Chief
Station #2 – 3121 Milloy Street
Station #3 – 2750 Ouellette Avenue
Station #4 – 2600 College Avenue
Station #5 – 2650 Northwood Street
Station #6 – 1587 Provincial Road
Station #7 – 1380 Matthew Brady Boulevard

Devonshire Mall and Tecumseh Mall

At the malls, there will be fire safety booths inside, fire safety materials, giveaways, meet Sparky, and truck tours outside:

Thursday, October 10, 2024

10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: Tecumseh Mall, 7654 Tecumseh Road East, Windsor
10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: Devonshire Mall, 3100 Howard Avenue, Windsor

Friday, October 11, 2024

10:00 am to 8:00 p.m.: Tecumseh Mall, 7654 Tecumseh Road East, Windsor
10:00 am to 8:00 p.m.: Devonshire Mall, 3100 Howard Avenue, Windsor

Saturday, October 12, 2024

10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: Tecumseh Mall, 7654 Tecumseh Road East, Windsor
10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: Devonshire Mall, 3100 Howard Avenue, Windsor