Fire department to distribute free alarms

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Members of council and the Uxbridge Fire Department display some of the CO2 detectors/smoke alarms donated by Enbridge. Photo submitted by Sierra Miller

Thanks to a donation from Enbridge, the Uxbridge Fire Department will soon be handing out free smoke and CO alarms to needy families in the community.

At a small ceremony at the fire hall Tuesday morning, attended by the mayor and members of council, Enbridge handed over 180 combination smoke-and-CO alarms with a total value of $11,600.

Capt. Colin Clark, the fire department's public education officer, said the firefighters will "get these to people who need them.” He said the alarm distribution will be part of the department's Project Zero fire safety program.

"What we want is for families to have fire escape plans," Clark said. "Alarms save lives."

He said the fire department will be looking to hand out the alarms to families that can't afford to purchase their own. Chief Mike MacDonald said Clark is looking at working with the food bank and the weekly soup lunch offered at St. Andrews-Chalmers as a way to find people in need. He said there also could be small door-to-door campaigns after attending neighbourhood fire calls to determine if anyone is in need of an alarm. He added if anyone knows of somebody who needs an alarm they can contact the fire department with the information.