Enbridge Gas teams up with Oakville Fire department to Reduce Fire and Carbon Monoxide Deaths through Safe Community Project Zero

On December 13, 2022, Enbridge Gas Inc. (Enbridge Gas), the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council (FMPFSC) and Oakville Fire department announced they are working together to improve home safety and bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths down to zero.

Oakville Fire department received 486 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms through Safe Community Project Zero–a public education campaign that will provide more than 8,000 alarms to residents in 50 municipalities across Ontario.

This year, Enbridge Gas invested $250,000 in Safe Community Project Zero, and over the past 14 years, the program has provided more than 76,000 alarms to Ontario fire departments.

When properly installed and maintained, combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms help provide the early warning to safely escape from a house fire or carbon monoxide exposure. Carbon monoxide is a toxic, odourless gas that is a by-product of incomplete combustion of many types of common fuels.

“Carbon monoxide is known as the ‘silent killer’ for a reason, and evidence shows that prevention saves lives. We know that the best way to avoid carbon monoxide exposure is to eliminate it at the source by properly maintaining fuel-burning equipment, and that the alarms are a critical second line of defence to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning,” says Joel Brouwer, Senior Operations Advisor, GTA West Region, Enbridge Gas.

“The objective of Safe Community Project Zero is to deliver combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to residents in Ontario communities who need them the most,” says Jon Pegg, Ontario Fire Marshal and Chair of the FMPFSC. “It’s a program that fire departments can adopt to help educate their communities about the requirement for all Ontario homes to have a CO alarm if they have a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage.”

“Our partnership with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council and Enbridge is a huge step in protecting lives and homes in Oakville,” says Fire Chief Paul Boissonneault, Oakville Fire department. “We thank our partners for their generous donation of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that will be distributed in our community through local partners, providing tangible and essential support to those in need in our community.”

The Oakville Fire department (OFD) plays a vital role in moving the town towards its vision of being the most livable community. Oakville Fire’s three main functions are emergency response, fire prevention and education and emergency planning. OFD has evolved and grown into a full-time fire service with nine fire stations and 250 staff catering to a diverse population of more than 225,000. OFD houses a state-of-the-art training facility that offers year-round fire training to keep firefighters up to date on the latest fire prevention and firefighting methods and equipment.

The FMPFSC was established in 1993 with a mission to help create “a world where no one is hurt by fire.” Chaired by the Ontario Fire Marshal, the FMPFSC promotes fire prevention and public education through sponsorships and partnerships with various groups and individuals with an interest in public safety. 

Enbridge Gas Inc., formed on January 1, 2019 from the amalgamation of Union Gas Limited and Enbridge Gas Distribution, is Canada's largest natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company based in Ontario with a more than 170-year history of providing safe and reliable service to customers. The distribution business serves about 3.8 million customers, heating over 75 per cent of Ontario homes. The storage and transmission business offers a variety of storage and transportation services to customers at the Dawn Hub, the largest integrated underground storage facility in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Enbridge Gas Inc. is owned by Enbridge Inc., a Canadian-based leader in energy transportation and distribution.