Justice Minister and Attorney General Shirley Bond was in Kitimat today highlighting the work Kitimat Fire & Ambulance Services and its community partners have done to save lives as part of the Province's smoke alarm campaign.

Kitimat Fire & Ambulance Services continues to build on its highly successful 2012 campaign to have a working smoke alarm in every home in the community. Last summer, as part of its emergency awareness program, Kitimat Fire & Ambulance offered free home fire safety assessments for residents. Conducted by summer students, the assessments included smoke alarm testing, free smoke detectors or batteries as needed, and information for preparing household emergency kits. This work will continue in 2013.

Kitimat Fire & Ambulance Services also partnered with Pizzarama Pizzaria on July 10 to deliver pizza to some customers by fire truck. Lucky customers who had a working smoke alarm got their pizza free, while those who lacked a working alarm paid for their pizza but got a new smoke alarm installed at no cost. Other partners continue to join this local public safety campaign.

Last March, Minister Bond and Len Garis, president of the Fire Chiefs' Association of BC and Surrey's fire chief, launched a provincewide smoke alarm awareness campaign with support from the BC Office of the Fire Commissioner. Now in its second year, the campaign continues to gain momentum as more than 60 communities throughout the province have partnered with fire service personnel and local organizations. The goal is to save lives by having a working smoke alarm in every household in B.C.

Quotes:

Minister of Justice and Attorney General Shirley Bond -

"The most simple and effective way to protect your family from fire is to ensure your home has a smoke alarm and that you test it regularly. Kitimat has really come together as a community, furthering the smoke alarm campaign locally with some innovative approaches. I hope other communities and organizations will consider Kitimat's leadership and take similar steps to help save lives in their own communities."

Kitimat Mayor Joanne Monaghan -

"Fire chief Trent Bossence and Kitimat Fire & Ambulance Services have gone above and beyond to help ensure our citizens are safe and informed. Kitimat is leading by example when it comes to smoke alarm awareness and fire safety, and we continue to support creative approaches that focus our community on the campaign's core messages and goal."

Kitimat fire chief Trent Bossence -

"Our campaign is really a testament to the overwhelming support of many individuals and businesses in our area. We simply couldn't have reached so many residents so quickly without their help. Thanks to our community partners, we are able to assist many local residents with testing or replacing their smoke alarms. That work will continue this year and move us closer to our goal of a working smoke alarm in every home here in Kitimat."

Quick Facts:

• Research shows there is a greater risk of fire-related fatalities for households with young children, older adults or people with disabilities, as well as people who live in rental units, households in low-income areas, rural communities and First Nations reserves.

• Data from the Office of the Fire Commissioner shows that, among 11,000 residential fires throughout B.C. between 2006 and 2011, nearly 70 per cent of the fire scenes examined either had no smoke alarm or a smoke alarm that wasn't working.

• Research predicts working smoke alarms could reduce fire deaths by as much as 32 per cent and save 76 lives across Canada each year.

• The smoke alarm campaign has attracted partners including Kidde Canada, Black Press, Shaw Cable, B.C.'s Office of the Fire Commissioner, the Fire Chiefs' Association of BC, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Insurance Brokers' Association of BC, the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, Food Banks BC, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada as well as others.

Learn More:

To view the public service message, go to: www.workingsmokealarms.ca

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

Media Contact:

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