Camping Trailers and Smoke Alarms

There is nothing more devastating than to read or hear of people dying in a fire. What is most devastating though, is reading that the fire took the lives of two young children. On June 30, 2008 a 34 year old man and 2 young children died in a fire in a trailer park in Essex, Ontario where it was confirmed there were no working smoke alarms found in the trailer. Fire Chief Brent Marshall says, “This tragic incident could have been prevented”, adding “Working smoke alarms have proven time and time again that they save lives”.

The Ontario Fire Code requires every ‘dwelling unit” to have working smoke alarms on every floor and outside all sleeping areas. Dwelling units also include seasonal homes such as park model trailers, cabins and cottages and may include trailers and motor homes.

Camping season is very near and we urge all camper and trailer owners to ensure they have at least one working smoke alarm. While most new trailers and RV’s may already meet a construction standard requiring smoke alarms, older models may not be equipped with any or they may not have been properly maintained. Chief Marshall says, “It is a good practice to install smoke alarms in any recreational vehicle, trailer, camper and even boats equipped with sleeping quarters”.

Smoke alarms are your first line of defense against fire, your early warning device that will alert you to smoke and fire conditions. They will provide you with the precious seconds you need to escape from a fire.

Now that campers and trailers are coming out of winter storage, take a few extra minutes to change the batteries and test the smoke alarms. If the alarms are between 7 and 10 years old, replace them.

Halton Hills has 3 trailer/recreational parks with a variety of almost 350 campers. Let’s make a conscious effort to eliminate any possibility of needless and senseless tragedies in our community.

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