NEWS RELEASE
TOWN OF EAST GWILLIMBURY
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Today, Enbridge Gas Inc. (Enbridge Gas) and East Gwillimbury Emergency and Community Safety Services (ECSS) announced they are working together to improve home safety and bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths down to zero with the donation of 264 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Safe Community Project Zero is a public education campaign with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council (FMPFSC), will provide more than 8,000 alarms to residents in 50 municipalities across Ontario.
Today’s donation will support the York Region Children’s Aid Society in its efforts to provide families, youth, and young adults (who live independently) with working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for their homes.
This year, Enbridge Gas invested $250,000 in Safe Community Project Zero, and over the past 14 years, the program has provided more than 76,000 alarms to Ontario fire departments.
When properly installed and maintained, combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms help provide the early warning to safely escape from a house fire or carbon monoxide exposure. Carbon monoxide is a toxic, odourless gas that is a by-product of incomplete combustion of many types of common fuels.
“Carbon monoxide is known as the ‘silent killer’ for a reason, and evidence shows that prevention saves lives. We know that the best way to avoid carbon monoxide exposure is to eliminate it at the source by properly maintaining fuel-burning equipment, and that the alarms are a critical second line of defence to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning,” says Mike Ovsonka, manager station operations, GTA East Operations, Enbridge Gas.
“The objective of Safe Community Project Zero is to deliver combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to residents in Ontario communities who need them the most,” says Jon Pegg, Ontario Fire Marshal and chair of the FMPFSC. “It’s a program that fire departments can adopt to help educate their communities about the requirement for all Ontario homes to have a CO alarm if they have a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage.”
“Working smoke/CO alarms save lives. Across Ontario we’re seeing far too many deaths that could be prevented with the help of working alarms,” says Fire Chief Robert McKenzie. “Programs like Safe Community Project Zero allows our department to educate our communities about fire and life safety, but most importantly ways to prevent emergencies from happening.”
Ginelle Skerritt, York Region Children’s Aid Society’s (YRCAS) CEO, thanked Enbridge Gas and East Gwillimbury Emergency and Community Safety Services for their donation, “Today’s donation reinforces how community partnerships contribute to keeping the children, youth and families of York Region safe through prevention and support. This donation of fire safety equipment, to be given to families, youth, and young adults who do not have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms will contribute towards a safer York Region.”
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