Mandatory Smoke Detectors Now in Ontario

We have all heard a fair amount about the new smoke alarm laws having come into effect March 1, 2006. In Ontario it is now the law that all residential buildings have working fire alarms on every level and violators are facing some pretty stiff penalties. There are a few items to keep in mind with the new law:

• It is still recommended by Lighthouse Inspections that smoke detectors are installed within 5 feet of bedroom doors – all bedroom doors, homeowners should add additional detectors if one or two doors are further than this.
• As we all know, smoke rises– so these detectors should be on or near the ceiling (CO detectors at around knee or plug in level)
• There are 2 types of detectors – ionization and photoelectric – both are very effective in providing early warning of the smoke
• Detectors are now required to be installed on each storey of the home – According to the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall split level homes do not require an alarm on each level, only each storey (plus all areas with bedrooms). As illustrated below, a storey can
  consist of more than one level. Only one smoke alarm is required to be installed in each storey (see note 1). However, when a dwelling unit contains multiple sleeping areas, a
  smoke alarm must be installed to protect each separate sleeping area. This may necessitate additional smoke alarms on some levels of a split-level home (see note 2). The following
  illustrated example of a split-level dwelling unit is provided for clarification." It is recommended that when a storey includes 2 levels, the alarm be placed on the higher ceiling
  of the two
• Smoke detectors have a life span – the units themselves should be replaced every 10 years
• Homeowners are not allowed to replace hard wired detectors with battery powered units – as these units may have been required by the Building code at the time of installation. All units to be replaced must be replaced with equal or better units. It is possible, however, to supplement (or add) detectors with battery powered units.
• Crawl spaces do not require detectors (if there is no finished floor).
• It is the landlord’s responsibility to install and maintain any smoke detectors – to this end, it is illegal for tenants to remove the batteries or otherwise dismantle the units.

Although the law was a long time coming, some homeowners are scrambling to catch up. It is expected that first time offences will be treated with leniency and issued a $235 ticket. However, this is not guaranteed, and individuals can be fined up to $50,000 and up to a year in jail. In this instance there is no downside to being overly cautious.