Enbridge Gas helps St. Marys Fire Department reduce fire and carbon monoxide deaths through Project Zero

Enbridge Gas and the St. Marys Fire Department have announced they are working to improve home safety and bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths down to zero.

The St. Marys Fire Department received 144 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms through Project Zero – a public education campaign that will provide 7,500 alarms to residents in 35 municipalities across Ontario.

This year, Enbridge Gas invested $225,000 in Project Zero, and over the past 12 years, the program has provided more than 50,000 alarms to Ontario fire departments.

When properly installed and maintained, combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms help provide the early warning to safely escape from a house fire or carbon monoxide exposure. Carbon monoxide is a toxic, odourless gas that is a by-product of incomplete combustion of many types of common fuels.

“Carbon monoxide is known as the ‘silent killer’ for a reason, and we have proof that prevention saves lives. We know that the best way to avoid carbon monoxide exposure is to eliminate it at the source by properly maintaining fuel-burning equipment, and that the alarms are a critical second line of defense to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning,” says Steven Jelich, Director, Southwest Region Operations, Enbridge Gas.

“The objective of Project Zero is to deliver combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to Ontario communities who need them the most,” says Jon Pegg, Ontario Fire Marshal. “It’s a program that fire departments can adopt to help educate their communities about the requirement for all Ontario homes to have a CO alarm if they have a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage.”

“Having correctly installed and maintained alarms, offers the early warning needed to safely escape from carbon monoxide exposure or a house fire,” says St. Marys Fire Chief Richard “Andy” Anderson. “The Project Zero program complements our annual Door-to-Door campaign, during which we ask St. Marys residents to install, maintain and test their alarms. Words can’t express how thankful we are to Enbridge for their generous donation of 144 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to the St. Marys Fire Department.”  

About the St. Marys Fire Department
The St. Marys Fire Department is a highly trained fire service, comprised of community ambassadors who have committed to serving the Town of St. Marys, focused on minimizing loss of life, property and the environment. The fire department includes a full-time fire chief, part-time chief fire prevention officer and 25 dedicated part-time professional firefighters.

About Enbridge Gas
Enbridge Gas Inc., formed on January 1, 2019 from the amalgamation of Union Gas Limited and Enbridge Gas Distribution, is Canada's largest natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company based in Ontario with a more than 170-year history of providing safe and reliable service to customers. The distribution business serves about 3.8 million customers, heating over 75 per cent of Ontario homes. The storage and transmission business offers a variety of storage and transportation services to customers at the Dawn Hub, the largest integrated underground storage facility in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Enbridge Gas Inc. is owned by Enbridge Inc., a Canadian-based leader in energy transportation and distribution.

For more information, visit www.enbridgegas.com or follow us on Twitter @EnbridgeGas.

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For more information, please contact:

Kathy Ash, Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council
Tel: 1-866-379-6668 ext. 105
Email: kathy.ash@firesafetycouncil.com

Richard “Andy” Anderson, St. Marys Fire Department
Tel: 519-274-3939
Email: randerson@town.stmarys.on.ca

Enbridge Gas Media
Tel: 1-855-884-5112
Email: enbridgegasmedia@enbridge.com