Working smoke detectors were found in less than 30 per cent of Nanaimo house fires in 2018. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

vital warning

Number of working smoke detectors in Nanaimo homes plummets to 5-year low

Aug 20, 2019 | 10:27 AM

NANAIMO — Local firefighters are renewing their push for families to test and replace their smoke detectors after discovering a worrying trend.

Nanaimo Fire Rescue chief Karen Fry said only 28 per cent of home fires in Nanaimo in 2018 had working smoke detectors.

It’s a steep drop from the 52 per cent of working smoke detectors found in 2017 fires.

Fry added Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews recently attended several fires where no smoke alarms were installed at all.

“This is a worrying trend for Nanaimo, which statistically has been below the provincial average of working smoke alarms installed in homes,” Fry said in a release.

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The number of working smoke detectors found in Nanaimo homes was steadily increasing as awareness campaigns about the problem ramped up. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Fry said awareness campaigns about the pressing need for working smoke detectors will specifically target mobile home parks.

Firefighters will go door to door to check and install smoke alarms.

They’ve previously focused on downtown Nanaimo and vast sections of the suburbs.

Even if a smoke detector is installed, it doesn’t mean it’s working properly.

Batteries should be replaced every six months and the entire unit replaced every 10 years.

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