The North Bay Fire Department is urging residents to do your annual fire alarm check with a fun twist this fall.
In conjunction with Fire Prevention week which goes from October 9th to 15th, the North Bay Fire and Emergency Services is asking the public to take part in the “Don’t Wait, Check the Date Selfie Challenge.”
“The theme of Fire Prevention Week this year is Don’t Wait, Check the Date of your smoke alarms,” said Fire Chief Jason Whiteley in a city release.
“Smoke alarms don’t last forever. So we challenge everyone to take a selfie of their family checking the expiry date of their smoke alarms and post it on social media, to show everyone your alarm’s up to date.”
Smoke alarms wear out over time and need to be replaced within the time frame indicated by the manufacturer, usually 10 years. The date of manufacture is indicated on the back of the smoke alarm and the expiry date is taken from that date. While smoke alarms typically last 10 years, some have different expiry time frames. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for the expiry time frame of your smoke alarms.
The NBFES also reminds residents that smoke alarms are required on every storey of your home and outside all sleeping areas.
They ask that you test all of your smoke alarms monthly by pushing the test button on the alarm, and replace batteries at least once a year or when the alarm’s low battery signal begins to chirp.
To take part in the selfie challenge, residents are asked to post their selfie on Facebook or Twitter, tag the City of North Bay (@cityofnorthbay), and use the hashtags #checkdthed8 #smokealarmselfie.
For more information about fire prevention and safety, residents can visit fire.cityofnorthbay.ca/fire-prevention-safety.
