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Surrey smoke alarm program saves lives and reduces residential fires

June 28, 2023, Surrey, B.C. – The Surrey Fire Service HomeSafe program is celebrating 16 years of operation this year.

Since the program’s inception, over 140,000 homes have been visited to check for and/or install working smoke alarms.

From 2006 to 2022, the number of injuries and fatalities at residential fires has dropped by roughly 48 per cent.

HomeSafe is a community-based fire-safety campaign designed to reduce residential fire occurrences and associated injuries and fatalities.

Firefighters and community fire service volunteers check over 12,000 smoke alarms per year.

The rate of residential structure fires in Surrey has dropped by 69 per cent from 19 fires out of 10,000 units in 2006 to six fires out of 10,000 units in 2022.

“A working smoke alarm is essential in every household,” said Surrey Fire Chief Larry Thomas. “Our HomeSafe program has been effective in saving lives and preventing fires. Make sure to regularly test your smoke alarm and replace it with a new one every 10 years.”