Smoke Alarms

Under the Ontario Fire Code, you must have:

• A working smoke alarm outside every sleeping area in your home.
• At least one working smoke alarm on every storey that does not contain a sleeping area.

This applies to all single-family, semi-detached and town houses, whether owned or rented.

Smoke Alarm Fines

You can be charged a $200 fine (plus a $35 surcharge) per offence if you:

• fail to install an alarm as required
• fail to maintain alarm in operating condition
• fail to provide alarm maintenance instructions to occupants
• intentionally disable the alarm to make it inoperable
• replace the alarm with a reduced level of protection

Smoke Alarm Tips

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and near sleeping areas.
• Place near ceilings and avoid areas that can set off the alarm (bathrooms, windows.)
• Never remove the batteries.
• If your alarm is beeping, replace the battery immediately.  
• Change the battery during daylight savings time in the spring and fall.
• Test your alarm regularly.
• Replace smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old, fail tests or malfunction.
• Make sure everyone in the household knows what to do if the smoke alarm sounds.
• Develop a home fire escape plan and practice it with the entire household.
• A smoke alarm is not required on each level in a split-level home because each level does not count as a separate storey. Place them where legally required.

For more information about smoke alarms and fire safety, please contact Greater Sudbury Fire Services at 705-674-4455, extension 3743, or visit the Office of the Fire Marshal website.