Home Safety & Security

Alarms: what Ontario asks for

The Ontario Fire Code requires a working smoke alarm on every storey of a home and outside every sleeping area, and a carbon monoxide alarm next to each sleeping area wherever there is a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage. New construction and major renovations go further under the Building Code — hardwired alarms, interconnected so one sounding sets off the rest, with battery backup. Check what the permit calls for before choosing between battery and hardwired models.

Emergency and security lighting

Emergency lights hold a battery that takes over when the power drops, and remote heads extend one unit's coverage to a second location. For outdoor security lighting, a motion sensor keeps the light off until it is needed, which suits a side entrance or a laneway better than an all-night fixture.

Send us the floor plan or the number of storeys and bedrooms and we will put the alarm list together.