The B.C. government has declared Oct. 12, 2012, "Smoke Alarm Awareness Day", and Justice Minister and Attorney General Shirley Bond will present the proclamation to firefighters and health professionals this morning at the Canadian Injury Action Forum.

Smoke Alarm Awareness Day encourages families, schools, workplaces and all British Columbians to take responsibility to protect themselves and those in their care by promoting the use and regular testing of residential smoke alarms in every B.C. home. By being smoke alarm aware, all British Columbians can help ensure they and their families are better protected in their homes from fires.

British Columbia is a partner in a smoke alarm campaign launched in March 2012 with the goal of ensuring every B.C. home has and maintains a working smoke alarm. The campaign is the vision of Surrey fire chief Len Garis, president of the Fire Chiefs' Association of BC, and is supported by the Office of the Fire Commissioner, a number of provincial public health organizations and private companies, and almost 50 communities.

Quotes:

Shirley Bond, Minister of Justice and Attorney General -

"We are proud to declare today Smoke Alarm Awareness Day in British Columbia. Today's proclamation emphasizes that smoke alarms deserve special attention and builds on the smoke alarm campaign that fire professionals, governments and private-sector partners have been promoting since the spring."

"When a fire starts in the middle of the night, a working smoke alarm is your first and best line of defence to ensure you're rapidly alerted and able to take action to save yourself and your family as you get out of your home safely."

Len Garis, Surrey fire chief and Fire Chiefs' Association of BC president -

"The smoke alarm campaign has built tremendous momentum since it began this past spring culminating in today being proclaimed Smoke Alarm Awareness Day in B.C."

"We have come a long way thanks to our many partners including the government of B.C. and in particular, Minister Bond, whose continuous support is helping ensure the campaign's success."

Quick Facts:

• Research shows that almost 70 per cent of houses that caught fire did not have a functioning smoke alarm.

• Based on two decades of fire-related data, research also predicts that working smoke alarms could reduce annual fire deaths by as much as 32 per cent and save 76 lives across Canada each year.

Learn More:

Information about the smoke alarm campaign is at: www.fcabc.ca

Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 356-6961