Hear the BEEP where you SLEEP, this week and every week

The City of Ottawa wants you to make sure you can ** Hear the BEEP where you SLEEP ** . That is the theme of Fire Prevention Week, October 4 to 10.

In Ontario, newly built homes must include a smoke alarm, combined with a strobe light, in each bedroom. Older homes are required only to have a smoke alarm on each floor; however, residents in older homes are encouraged to come as close as possible to the new standard.

Once you have a smoke alarm installed, be sure to test it regularly and make sure everyone in your home or office knows what to do when the alarm goes off.

Some facts about the importance of smoke alarms:

 * 
Half of all fire-related deaths occur between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

 * 
One in four fire-related deaths occurred in fires that began in a bedroom

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Having a working smoke alarm in your home improves your odds of surviving a fire by 50 per cent

** ** Fire prevention officers from Ottawa Fire Services will set up information tables in various public locations citywide throughout the week. Ottawa residents are encouraged to seek them out at branches of the Ottawa Public Library, Home Depot stores and Tim Hortons restaurants.

For a complete list of locations, visit the City’s website, ottawa.ca .