With Port Hope Fire and Emergency Services responding to 25 calls for service related to carbon monoxide emissions over the past year, fire chief Jason Williams is hopeful a recent donation of combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms will help save lives in Port Hope.
The Port Hope department has received 198 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to deliver to local homes under Safe Community Project Zero, Enbridge Gas’s annual public education delivered in partnership with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council to promote the installation of the alarms in homes in Ontario communities where Enbridge operates.
Enbridge Gas, which developed the program to bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths down to zero, has donated more than 115,000 alarms to 75 fire departments across Ontario since the program began 17 years ago, including over 14,200 alarms valued at $450,000 this year alone.
When properly installed and maintained, combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms help provide the early warning to safely escape from a house fire or exposure to carbon monoxide (CO), an odourless toxic gas that is a by-product of incomplete combustion of many types of common fuels, including natural gas.
“Working smoke and CO alarms save lives, period,” Chief Williams, who is also Port Hope’s director of protective services, told kawarthaNOW.
“Throughout my career with the Ontario Fire Marshal and the fire service, I have seen far too often the effects of not having working alarms, resulting in serious injury or death throughout the province of Ontario. It is the law to have working smoke and CO alarms in your home.”
As of January 2026, changes to the Ontario Fire Code will require carbon monoxide alarms on every level of a residential home with a fuel-burning appliance, the chief noted.
Port Hope Fire and Emergency Services will be distributing the alarms in the community, with a focus on homeowners who might otherwise not be able to afford them.
“Our fire prevention division has been in contact and in communication with local community groups in and throughout the Municipality of Port Hope,” Chief Williams said. “Our plan is to identify those homeowners in the community who need the alarms, and who may have limitations on purchasing their own. We want to ensure that these alarms go to those residents who are truly in need of these life-saving devices.”
Of the 25 calls Port Hope Fire and Emergency Services received during the past year, there were eight situations involving elevated levels of carbon monoxide. In some cases, residents required treatment and transportation to the hospital via emergency medical service as a result of carbon monoxide exposure.
“Carbon monoxide alarms play a vital role as a second line of defence against this invisible threat, often called the silent killer,” said Ryan Marshall, operations manager for Enbridge Gas, in a media release.
“Proper maintenance of fuel-burning appliances is the most effective way to prevent carbon monoxide exposure. We’re proud to support our communities by raising awareness and helping Ontarians take simple, proactive steps to stay safe in their homes.”
The objective of Safe Community Project Zero is to deliver these alarms to areas where they are needed most.
“It is a program that not only helps fire departments raise awareness about the legal requirement to have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms installed in all Ontario homes, but also reinforces the critical role they play in saving lives,” said Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg, who is also chair of the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council.
Public education and prevention are key parts of the work conducted by Port Hope Fire and Emergency Services, Chief Williams noted, and partnerships like Safe Community Project Zero help the department reach people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to these critical safety devices.
Port Hope Fire and Emergency Services provides fire protection, rescue, and emergency response services to residents and businesses across the Municipality of Port Hope, which includes the town of Port Hope and a number of villages and hamlets.
The department operates three fire stations with a combination of full-time and volunteer firefighters and is committed to fire prevention, public education, and community safety through ongoing training, outreach, and emergency preparedness initiatives.
The Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council 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 council promotes fire prevention and public education through sponsorships and partnerships with various groups and individuals with an interest in public safety.
