Insurance broker donates $1,000 for smoke detectors
Insurance broker donates $1,000 for smoke detectors
GRAVENHURST — There should be no excuse now for any home or business in Gravenhurst to not have a smoke detector.
A local insurance broker is the latest to step up, with a sizable investment in this community’s safety, with a donation to the Gravenhurst Fire Departments “Alarmed for Life” program.
On Tuesday February 6, Stephen and Jason Darling of Stan Darling Insurance/Gidley & Associates Insurance Brokers, visited with Fire Chief Larry Brassard and Deputy Mayor Jeff Watson at the Harvie Street fire station to drop off a cheque for $1000.
“Our firefighters do a great job for the community and this is a simple way we can show support for the work they do every day,” said Stephen Darling.
A rash of deadly fires in southern Ontario last month points to the ongoing need for smoke alarm awareness according to local fire officials.
“Properly placed and maintained smoke alarms along with a definitive plan have proven to be essential to protecting Ontario families,” said Brassard.
He noted a fire last August in Gravenhurst, where a sleeping woman was awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of an alarm giving her the precious seconds she needed to escape the fire.
The donation by Stan Darling Insurance/Gidley and Associates will be used to purchase smoke alarms that the fire department makes available to the community free of charge.
“Our ‘Alarmed for Life’ program has been supported for decades by community-minded organizations and individuals, and over the years we’ve been able to place hundreds of detectors in needy homes right here in our community. And we’ve done this at no cost to the taxpayer thanks to our benefactors,” Brassard added.
“I want to thank Stephen and Jason for helping to make Gravenhurst a safer place to live.”
Homeowners are required by law to install and maintain these devices, along with Carbon Monoxide alarms in many cases, but the emphasis in Gravenhurst is on education in most cases, said Brassard.
“We tend to stay away from enforcement in private residences, but such is not the case with rental properties where the owner of property has an unequivocal responsibility,” added the chief.
Again, he quickly pointed out that tenants have responsibilities too and in rental properties where there are often multiple families relying on these devices, a stricter approach is taken regarding the provision and maintenance of alarms.
“For those in need, a simple phone call to the fire department is all that’s needed to make sure a home is protected with smoke and C.O. alarms,” said Darling. “We want to help avoid those tragic headlines we saw earlier this year, so make the call, it just might be the best call you’ve ever made.”
Watson said: “The Darling name has been synonymous with protecting communities in this area for many years, and we’d like to thank Stephen and Jason for this generous donation today. It will be put to good use by our fire department to help protect families.”
For more information on the “Alarmed for Life” program, please contact the fire department at 705-687-3414.
