Canadian Press
TORONTO
Every floor of every house in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm under a new provincial regulation that takes effect March 1, 2006.
The regulation will require homeowners to purchase multiple alarms if they live in a multi-storey house, Ontario Fire Marshal Bernard Moyle announced yesterday. Currently, smoke detectors only have to be placed outside sleeping areas.
The change to the Ontario Fire Code also requires that all smoke alarms be replaced every 10 years.
«In about 50 per cent of fatal, preventable home fires, there was no smoke alarm warning,» Moyle said. «It is critical to have working smoke alarms on every level to give occupants the precious seconds they need to escape a fire.»
The law covers single family houses, semi-detached houses and townhouses, whether owner-occupied or rented.
December 14, 2005
