Homeowners must have working smoke detectors on each level of their home, preferably more. It’s the law.

A good way to remember to update the batteries in all the devices throughout the house is to make a habit of changing them when we change the clocks to Daylight Saving Time. And while we sprang ahead an hour last weekend, it’s not too late to go back and tend to the smoke detectors through out the house. In fact, it could be lifesaving.

Fire chiefs across the province have once again asked the media to educate the public that the fine for not having a working smoke alarm ranges from $250 to $50,000 per person and $100,000 for a corporation.

Perhaps a few very hefty fines might get people’s attention.

Many times, the media must report on the unnecessary loss of life in our community due to the absence of a working smoke alarm.

Exactly what more can fire departments do to get the message across to all residents?

Can you imagine the frustration felt by firefighters as they battle yet another inferno where the only sound they can hear is the roar of the flames – and no high-pitched wail from a smoke alarm.

Last week, Toronto residents Ken Einboden, 44, and his 12-year-old daughter, Britney, died following a house fire. The fire marshal ruled that unattended cooking was the cause of the deadly blaze. The investigation also revealed the smoke alarm on the ground floor didn’t have a working battery.

According to the Ontario Fire Marshal, more than 100 people die in house fires annually and more than half of those fatalities occur in fires where there were no working smoke alarms.

As noted on the Hamilton Fire Service web site, complacency – the idea that a fire “will not happen to me” – is not acceptable when it comes to ensuring that our preventative equipment is in working order. After all, most fire-related injuries and deaths occur in the home, a place where most of us feel the safest.

Hamilton Emergency Services recommend that you replace your smoke alarms every 10 years. And they offer the following advice: “If you don't have smoke alarms in your home, put on your coat, go out and purchase enough smoke alarms so that you have one installed on every floor level of your home. When you return home, install them in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. If the battery in your smoke alarm is dead, replace the battery and test the smoke alarm to ensure it's working.”

Whether you are sleeping or simply watching television, a working smoke detector is constantly on alert, scanning the air for fire and smoke.  

It’s a simple device that, with a small investment of time and money, could save something worth a whole lot more: a life.