Vancouver fire department wants people to 'wake up' and ensure they have working smoke detectors
New campaign launches after 8th fire fatality of the year is confirmed, tying the previous single year high
Vancouver Fire and Rescue say an East Vancouver apartment fire earlier this month could have been much worse had there not been a working smoke detector in the unit.
On the night of Dec. 2, fire crews were called to the 2000-block of Wall Street where heavy smoke was coming from a second storey apartment. A male resident was taken to hospital but died from his injuries last week.
However, according to VFRS Capt. Jonathon Gormick, thanks to a working smoke detector, all the neighbours in the building were able to escape unharmed.
He said most fire fatalities happen in the absence of a working smoke detector during the night when people are sleeping leaving no chance of escape.
"These are fatalities, because there is nothing to wake people up in the early stages of a fire," said Gormick. "The vast majority were from smoke inhalation and the vast majority occurred between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m."
Smoke detectors are required in Vancouver and available for free through wakeupvancouver.ca, or by calling 311 to book a free home safety check.
VFRS is also releasing a series of Wake Up Vancouver videos as part of a public awareness campaign.
Eight fire fatalities tie the previous single year high for fire deaths in the City of Vancouver.
With files from Raffery Baker