Still sounding the alarm: Wake Up! program marks 20 years

Program founder Ivan Tanner reflects on its success Feature story In April 2005, a devastating fire in Ottawa’s Chinatown neighbourhood tragically claimed the lives of five family members. In the wake of the tragedy, then-Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Montone tasked now-retired Fire Prevention Officer Ivan Tanner with finding a way to prevent such a loss from happening again. As he reviewed the circumstances of the fire, one critical issue stood out: the building had no working smoke alarms. To Ivan, the solution was clear — help ensure homes in the City of Ottawa are protected by working smoke alarms. With that, the idea for the Wake Up! program was born. But one big question remained: how could this idea become a reality? “So, I thought,” Ivan says, “we’ll have firefighters go out and check homes in the City of Ottawa to ensure they have a working smoke alarm.” And that’s exactly what the Wake Up! program set out to do. As part of this program, twice a year, uniformed firefighters visit homes in select neighbourhoods across Ottawa to:

• Inspect and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. 
• If required, install smoke alarms and provide new batteries. 

• Share information on fire safety and home escape planning. 

All services are provided to residents free of charge. Now, 20 years after it began, the Wake Up! program is still knocking on doors and spreading the message about the importance of fire prevention across Ottawa. Reflecting on the program’s milestone anniversary, Ivan says, “It’s incredible and so gratifying to see it still going 20 years later, and to see how many people it’s touched and the lives that have been saved.” He adds, “The trouble with preventing things is that you don’t know what you have prevented. The only thing you can go by is statistics.” And in this case, the numbers tell a powerful story: over the past two decades, the Wake Up! program has visited over 264,000 homes, installed nearly 13,000 smoke alarms and replaced more than 6,500 batteries. Perhaps the most telling sign of the program’s success is that, over the last 20 years, the number of homes needing smoke alarms during firefighter visits has decreased substantially. The success of this program serves as a reminder that even small actions, like testing a smoke alarm, can have a life-saving impact. Wake Up! visits As part of the spring Wake Up! program, firefighters from Ottawa Fire Services will visit homes across the city next week to ensure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are present and working.  Ontario’s Fire Code requires that homes have a working smoke alarm on each floor and outside each sleeping area. For homes built after January 1, 2015, smoke alarms are also required in sleeping rooms and all of smoke alarms must be interconnected and have a visual strobe light. Carbon monoxide alarms are also required outside sleeping areas if the home has an attached garage, a wood stove or a fuel-fired appliance.  From Monday, June 2 to Monday, June 9, uniformed firefighters will visit select residential areas for two hours between 3 and 8 pm on weekdays and 2 and 4 pm on weekends.  If no one is home, firefighters will leave a door hanger with fire safety information. This is a courtesy call only and all services are provided to residents for free. Residents are not obligated to provide firefighters access to their home.  To learn what is involved in a firefighter home visit, watch the Wake Up! video. Visit ottawa.ca/fire for more information on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.  To ensure the safety of you and your family, it is important to check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms monthly. To check that your alarm is working, push the test button. It will beep loudly if it is working properly. It is also important to replace batteries in your alarms once a year. To help you remember, pick a memorable date, like your birthday, when the time changes or Test Your Smoke Alarm Day on September 28.  Remember, smoke alarms don't last forever. Replace smoke and carbon monoxide alarms according to manufacturer's instructions, usually every 10 years.