Montréal, 02 July 2014 - The Service de sécurité incendie (SIM) smoke alarm brigade this summer will carry out its fifth door-to-door campaign across the urban agglomeration of Montréal this summer. Made up of 30 fire safety students, the brigade will visit citizens at home to promote the use of smoke alarms while ensuring that household smoke alarms are in proper working order.

Until August 18, citizens will be visited by members of the smoke alarm brigade as they take to the streets throughout the Ville de Montréal’s boroughs and the related municipalities within the agglomeration. In 2013, the brigade visited nearly 61,000 households and checked close to 25,000 smoke alarms. Last year, the SIM deployed a variety of means to ensure that 71,839 homes had a working smoke alarm.

A smoke alarm is a simple, effective and essential prevention tool that can save lives. It is important to verify its proper working condition each month and change the batteries twice a year, in conjunction with the time change.

Moving?

With many citizens getting set to move in the days to come, the SIM takes the opportunity to reiterate the following advice:

• Check to see if your new home has a smoke alarm. Make sure it works properly, and replace the batteries as needed.
• When you leave your former home, do not leave with the smoke alarm battery.

To find out more about the smoke alarm and the by-law making it mandatory to have one, please visit the SIM website.