Seven years ago, I was at home with my wife when we heard sirens getting closer and closer until they were outside our door. Our neighbour’s house was engulfed with smoke and flames. Luckily, the owner was rescued and his home was saved.
However, many families aren’t so fortunate.
That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to work with the Barrie Fire Department to challenge all real estate professionals to check homes for working smoke alarms.
The #RealEstateSmokeAlarmChallenge is promoting fire safety by asking real estate professionals to be mindful of the number of smoke alarms in a home and making sure they are in working order.
In Ontario, like the rest of Canada, homeowners are required to have smoke alarms on every floor of their home.
We have a #Celebrity #Realtor championing the #RealEstateSmokeAlarmChallenge ! Thank you @davidvisentin1 for taking the lead & putting a face to this challenge. Watch, then tag your realtor. @CREA_ACI @BarrieREALTORS @TREBhome @oafc Together we can make fire-safe communities. pic.twitter.com/GF2Y6oQKWb
— Barrie Fire (@Barrie_Fire) January 15, 2018
As a REALTOR® with Country Living Realty Limited for more than 25 years, I think this is a great initiative for all REALTORS® because we’re constantly going through homes.
Since taking the #RealEstateSmokeAlarmChallenge, every time I walk through a home I count the number of smoke alarms. If the home has less than the required number of alarms, I mention it to the homeowner or my fellow REALTOR® before leaving the property.
Your client’s home is not only the biggest investment of their lives, it’s where they’re supposed to feel the safest. While furniture and clothing can be replaced, lives cannot.
According to the Barrie Fire Department, there have been seven deaths in Ontario from house fires in the first two weeks of 2018.
Samantha Hoffmann, Public Fire and Life Safety Officer with the Barrie Fire Department, said she hopes the access and trust real estate professionals have with their clients can help prevent future loss.
“As firefighters, we’re not in homes until the worst day of their lives,” she said.
While it may seem like a small thing, both Samantha and I agree, making sure a home is equipped with multiple working smoke alarms could make a huge difference in the safety of your client’s family and home.
Are you up for the challenge? Share your pledge online using #RealEstateSmokeAlarmChallenge.
