The fatal blaze that broke out in the Chinatown neighbourhood is a reminder of what teams at Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) are trying to prevent when they knock on the doors of the city’s communities.
In April 2005, flames consumed the Mekong Grocery store and the apartment above on Somerset Street West where five people from the Thach family were killed. It remains one of the most deadly fires in the city’s history, and the memories of that tragic night are the reason why OFS’s “Wake-up program” exists and is critical.
The blaze prompted then, fire prevention officer, Ivan Tanner, to prevent this from happening again, which is how the program was born.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the program that sees firefighters go to as many homes, apartments and buildings in the city and ask residents to check their smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms — free of charge. They conduct the checks twice a year and bring awareness to how important the early warning can be in a situation.
James Lachance, who has been with OFS for a decade, works out of the service’s busiest area, Station 13 (Sandy Hill).
“Being proactive in regards to fire prevention and preventing 911 calls from happening in the first place is definitely also part of our duty,” he told CityNews in an interview.
On the ground, Lachance said the program is one of the best tools the department has to prevent property loss and lives. According to Statistics Canada, fires that happened in homes between 2015 and 2021 that did not have working smoke alarms accounted for 74 per cent of deaths.
Not only do firefighters like Lachance make sure people are protected it also allows them to “touch base” with people.
“Keep in mind that some people in our community might not have the ability, or maybe the means, to ensure that they’re adequately protected in their homes or their residences,” he said.
Some of those people Lachance thinks about are an older couple whom he visited a few years ago while doing the program. When he looked up in their home, he could see the smoke detectors had a yellowish tint, showing their age.
“They were very appreciative that we showed up to check in on them, and it was something that had kind of slipped their minds, and we ended up changing their smoke detectors,” he said.
Crews will bring batteries, extra carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms and education to each of the homes. These “extras” are built into the department’s budget each year.
Ottawa spearheaded the “Wake-Up” program
The idea to have firefighters go to people’s doors and check smoke detectors was not a normal idea in this part of the country at the time, Gwen Lewis, fire safety chief with OFS, said.
“When somebody else takes on and copcats your program, that’s kind of kudos to the idea,” she told CityNews in an interview.
Although the crux of the program has stayed the same, it has gone through developments over the years, Lewis said. In 2015, the fire code changed to include carbon monoxide alarms in homes that had a fuel-fire appliance or attached garage.
Now crews are asking about detectors and alarms, making sure to adapt along with the legislation.
Providing assistance is just one part of the program, firefighters also engage in conversations with residents on fire safety throughout the visit. One thing Lewis said people don’t realize is how important having an escape plan is. She encourages people to practice them once a year.
For people renting, Lewis said it is their responsibility to let the landlord (or homeowner) know if there are issues with the smoke detectors.
But at the end of the day, firefighters are trying to prevent a tragedy like 2005 from happening ever again.
“It’s a collective effort on everyone’s part, that’s ultimately what makes our city a safer place,” Lachance said.