London fire, Enbridge team up to reduce fire, carbon monoxide fatalities

In an effort to reduce fire and carbon monoxide fatalities to zero, the London Fire Department (LFD) and Enbridge Gas have teamed up in a new campaign that delivers alarms across the province, including London.

According to a press release, on Tuesday the London Fire Department, Enbridge and the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council (FMPFSC) announced they were partnering together to “improve home safety and bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths down to zero.”

Through Safe Community Project Zero — a public education campaign providing more than 8,000 smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to residents across 50 Ontario municipalities — the LFD received 600 combination detectors.

This year, Enbridge invested $250,000 in Safe Community Project Zero, and over the last 14 years the program has provided more than 76,000 alarms to Ontario fire departments.

Known as a “silent killer,” carbon monoxide gas is odorless, tasteless and invisible, but highly toxic, and in severe cases can cause death. It is a by-product of incomplete combustion of many types of common fuels.

“When properly installed and maintained, combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms help provide the early warning to safely escape from a house fire of carbon monoxide exposure,” the release reads.

On Jan. 18, 2023 the London Fire Department, Enbridge Gas and the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council announced a partnership to bring combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to those who need them across the province, and reduce fatalities down to zero. (Marek Sutherland/CTV News London) L

According to Adrian Hartley, supervisor, London operations at Enbridge, the best way to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning is by eliminating it at the source with properly maintained fuel-burning equipment. However, functioning alarms provide a “critical” second line of defence.

“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,” explained Jon Pegg, Ontario fire marshal and chair of the FMPFSC in the release.

Pegg went on to explain that the program allows fire departments to educate their communities about the requirement for all homes to have functioning carbon monoxide alarms if they have a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage.

“We are thankful for the opportunity provided to the London Fire Department by the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council and Enbridge Gas, to provide combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to older adults, persons with disabilities and Londoners experiencing low income,” said Deputy Fire Chief Richard Hayes in the release.