Though it may not seem like it with the current weather in the GTA, spring really is just around the corner! We’ll see the clocks move ahead one hour due to daylight savings, which happens Sunday March 9th! Think positively – although we’ll lose an hour of sleep, we’ll gain an hour of daylight in the evenings.
While you’re changing your clocks this weekend before heading to bed, think about changing the batteries in your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detectors too! The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs claims that carbon monoxide poisoning and fatal fires occur most often when we’re sleeping. Coincidentally, this is also the time when the batteries for these devices burn out. While you’re up there, you should also test them.
Effective March 01, 2006, the Provincial law for all Ontario homes stated that working smoke alarms should be installed on every floor in your home (yes, even the basement), and outside all sleeping areas.
While the law does not state that homes must have a carbon monoxide detector, it is definitely something we’d recommend having in your home! Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that is odourless, colourless and tasteless. When inhaled in large doses it can affect the heart and the central nervous system, and can even cause death. If you have wood burning or gas stoves, gas refrigerators, gasoline engines, kerosene heaters or a furnace, you are at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning!
If you’re looking for more ways to keep your home safe, visit the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs website at www.oafc.on.ca and select the Public Safety tab. If you have any great tips of your own, please share them in the comments!
