Oak Bay Fire Department
1703 Monterey Avenue, Oak Bay B.C.
V8R 5V6 (250) 592-9121
Email:  obfire@oakbay.ca      Fax:  (250) 598-2749

News Release
Date: February 26, 2018                                                            OBFD file # 2018 - 04

For Immediate Release:

Weekly Media Release for the period of Monday, February 19, 2018 to Sunday, February 25, 2018.

Over the past week, Oak Bay Fire Department members responded to 33 calls for assistance.
These calls for assistance included:

Where should I place alarms?

Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms should be mounted in or near bedrooms and living areas, either on the ceiling or the wall. Ceiling mounting it is typically preferred as it allows the smoke alarm to be placed more centrally in the room. If a wall mounting is used, it is best to use an inside wall to avoid thermal air currents that can occur along hot or cold walls. Our units have been tested and will perform between 40 degrees and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Carbon Monoxide and Combination Alarms

Carbon monoxide (CO) and combination alarms should be mounted in or near bedrooms and living areas, on a wall place six inches below the ceiling to six inches above the floor. If mounting on a ceiling, make sure it is at least six inches away from the wall. Because carbon monoxide is almost the same density as air, it will disperse evenly throughout the air in a room.  Our units have been tested and will perform between 40 degrees and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

If your home has a hot water heat system or boiler, then for the quickest response it would be recommended to place a CO alarm in the boiler room, and also in the room above or adjacent to the boiler room.

We recommend you install a carbon monoxide or combination alarm on each level of a multi-level home. You may use the number and location of smoke alarms installed in your home, according to current building code requirements, as a guide to the location of your carbon monoxide or combination alarm(s). 

If the home has only one carbon monoxide or combination alarm, it should be installed in the main bedroom or in the hallway outside of the sleeping area.

Refer to the following guidelines for placing a single carbon monoxide or combination alarm:

CAUTION: Carbon monoxide alarms will only indicate the presence of carbon monoxide at the sensor. Carbon monoxide may be present in other areas of your home.

For more information please contact the Oak Bay Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division at 250-592-9121.