February 17, 2006
2006-07
RESOURCES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
AND
ENFORCEMENT OF NEW SMOKE ALARM REGULATION
(External Distribution)
As a result of an amendment to the Ontario Fire Code in December 2005, every
home in Ontario is now required to have working smoke alarms on every storey.
This is in addition to the existing requirement of having smoke alarms outside
all sleeping areas. The new requirement takes effect on March 1, 2006. For more
information about the Fire Code amendment, please refer to Fire Marshal’s
Communiqué 2005-35.
To ensure widespread compliance of this new regulation, considerable public
education is required to raise the awareness of property owners and tenants.
Members of the fire service also need to be informed about the regulation and
strategies to be used for enforcing it.
The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) will provide fire departments with a
variety of resources and information, as listed below. Many of these resources
are available on the OFM Web site, www.ofm.gov.on.ca. Fire departments with
their own Web sites may wish to include a link to the OFM Web site so homeowners
can access these materials.
- Questions and Answers for Fire Departments and Homeowners
The OFM has developed a question and answer sheet for fire departments and
homeowners concerning the technical aspects of the new requirements. Fire
departments can use this information to help educate their staff and to respond
to enquiries from the media and homeowners. The question and answer sheet is
attached to this communiqué and can also be downloaded from the OFM Web site.
- Strategies for Education, Compliance and Enforcement
The OFM has prepared a document outlining options for maximizing compliance with
the regulation, including ways of raising awareness through public education
activities and options for enforcement and prosecution. Fire departments can use
this information as a guide when developing their own education, compliance and
enforcement strategies. A copy of the document is attached to this communiqué.
- Information Card and Other Materials
The OFM, in partnership with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council, is
developing an information card that fire departments can distribute to
households in their communities. The card includes information about the new
requirements and applicable fines for non-compliance, and smoke alarm
installation and maintenance tips. Samples of the card will be sent to all fire
departments in March. Additional copies of the card will be available for
purchase from the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council’s distribution
centre, along with posters, banners and fridge magnets on the same topic. The
card can be downloaded from the OFM Web site for local printing.
- Alarmed for Life!
The Alarmed for Life! program has been revised to include new information, tools
and materials to assist fire departments with their community smoke alarm
programs. Every fire department will receive a copy of the revised program in
March.
- Media Materials
Public service announcements (PSAs) for television, radio and newspapers are
available to help raise awareness about the new smoke alarm requirements. The
PSAs were distributed to media outlets across Ontario in December and the OFM
will send a reminder to all media in February requesting that they use the PSAs
throughout the spring. Fire departments are encouraged to elicit the support of
their local media in using the PSAs. All PSAs are available on the OFM Web site.
- PowerPoint Presentations
The OFM has developed two PowerPoint presentations that fire departments can use
for their educational activities. One presentation is intended for fire
department staff members to educate them about the new requirements and related
educational and enforcement strategies. The second presentation can be used for
public education to raise awareness about smoke alarm requirements. The
presentations and accompanying speaker’s notes will be included on the
Alarmed
for Life! CD, scheduled for distribution in March.
- Letters to Stakeholders
The OFM is sending letters to provincial organizations such as landlord and
tenant associations to inform them of the new requirements. Fire departments are
encouraged to contact municipal organizations in their communities and provide
support if possible. Information sheets will also be sent to directors of
education for dissemination in schools. It is hoped that children will take home
the information to their parents or caregivers.
Province-wide Smoke Alarm Blitz
Even after the effective date of March 1, 2006, many residents will still not be
aware of the new smoke alarm requirements. The OFM is therefore encouraging fire
departments to implement a community public awareness campaign during March,
April, and May. The revised Alarmed for Life! program will provide ideas and
resources to assist with the campaign. Further information about the
province-wide campaign will be forthcoming in the near future.
Grace Period
The announcement of the smoke alarm requirements at news conferences last
December resulted in considerable media coverage across the province. Property
owners are responding by purchasing additional smoke alarms for their homes to
meet the new requirements. Fire departments should continue to publicize the
requirements to encourage the highest possible rate of voluntary compliance.
The OFM is recommending that fire departments consider allowing a grace period
of three months during which they will not prosecute for non-compliance with the
new requirements. This grace period would coincide with the province-wide smoke
alarm blitz in March, April and May. It is important to remember that the grace
period will only apply to the new requirement of having smoke alarms on every
storey, and not the existing requirement of having smoke alarms outside sleeping
areas.
Performance Measurement and Benchmarking System
The Ontario Fire Service Performance Measurement and Benchmarking System (OFSPMBS)
is adding a helpful new feature to expand the range of information available to
fire service leaders to enhance business decision-making. Starting in April
2006, the Local Data Entry feature of OFSPMBS will enable departments to compare
measures related to fire prevention, public education, training and other
activities, information which is not available from response data (Standard
Incident Report). A series of these new performance measures has been developed
by the OFSPMBS Partnership’s Data and Measures Team, after more than a year of
research. As a preview of this new feature, the Local Data Entry site will be
launching a Smoke Alarm Program Survey. Fire departments in Ontario can access
and complete a brief survey in order to share information about smoke alarm
program activities, best practices and success stories in their respective
communities. To take part in the Local Data Entry Smoke Alarm Survey, or to
obtain additional information, please visit www.ofm.ca under PMBS – Local Data
Entry, or contact Vincent Liu, Program Specialist at (416) 325-3160.
Enquiries
Enquiries about the amendment to the Fire Code should be directed to Bruce
Weaver at (416) 325-3175. Enquiries about the resources described above should
be directed to Taryn Lloyd at (416) 325-3264.
Attachments
Qs & As
Compliance and Enforcement Strategies
Public Education Kit
Order Form (PDF 107K)
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