Made-In-Surrey Smoke Alarm Program Saving Lives and Effectively Reducing Residential Fires
The Surrey Fire Service HomeSafe program is celebrating 16 years of operation this year. Since the program’s inception, over 140,000 homes have been visited to check for and/or install working smoke alarms.
Surrey, BC – The Surrey Fire Service HomeSafe program is celebrating 16 years of operation this year. Since the program’s inception, over 140,000 homes have been visited to check for and/or install working smoke alarms. From 2006 to 2022, the number of injuries and fatalities at residential fires has dropped by roughly 48%.
“Working smoke alarms save lives and the Surrey Fire Service’s HomeSafe program is proof of that,” said Mayor Brenda Locke. “I want to commend the men and women of Surrey Fire and the community fire service volunteers for ensuring this important program remains a priority year after year. The data gathered after 16 years confirm that functioning smoke alarms save lives, reduce fire-related injury, reduce the spread of fires, and reduce the damage of fires.“
HomeSafe is a community-based fire-safety campaign designed to reduce residential fire occurrences and associated injuries and fatalities. Firefighters and community fire service volunteers check over 12,000 smoke alarms per year. The rate of residential structure fires in Surrey has dropped by 69% from 19 fires/10,000 units in 2006 to 6 fires/10,000 units in 2022.
“A working smoke alarm is essential in every household,” said Surrey Fire Service Chief Larry Thomas. “Our HomeSafe program has been effective in saving lives and preventing fires. Make sure to regularly test your smoke alarm and replace it with a new one every 10 years.”
If you want to help as a community fire service volunteer, please sign up online at this link.