The BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU) has partnered with the Office of the Fire Commissioner on a campaign to promote smoke alarm uptake and testing, in response to the increasing number of fire-related injuries and deaths in British Columbia.
In 2022, there were 86 fire-related deaths in BC, the majority of which occurred in people’s homes. From 2018 to 2022, fire-related deaths in BC increased by 207%.
The BCIRPU, along with its social marketing partner, Preventable, will target communities determined to be at increased risk of home fires with an educational campaign to promote fire safety and proper smoke alarm use. In these communities, firefighters will visit households to provide fire safety information and check smoke alarms. If a smoke alarm is non-functional, firefighters will install one at no cost to the resident.
Neighborhoods at higher risk of fire will be identified using a Community Fire Risk Reduction Dashboard, developed by Statistics Canada in partnership with the BC government.
Calling on the expertise and partnership of BCIRPU and the Community Against Preventable Injuries, together with the insights provided by the dashboard, we aim to reach across the province, especially high-risk regions, with a co-ordinated and strategic public campaign to prevent fire-related injuries and deaths.
To learn more, read the news release.