Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Perth District Health Unit
Health Unit and Fire Departments Advocate for Smoke-Free Housing
Perth County – Fire Prevention Week takes place October 4 to 10 across Canada. In Perth County, the local fire departments and the Perth District Health Unit are encouraging all landlords and property owners to adopt a smoke-free policy at their
multi-unit rental properties.
Why Smoke-Free Housing?
Three-quarters of Ontario households do not allow smoking indoors, and 84% of Ontarians agree that smoking should not be allowed in rental housing units with shared ventilation.
The Fire Chiefs in Perth County – John Paradis (Stratford), Bill Hunter (West Perth and Perth East), Edward Smith (North Perth), and Dennis Brownlee (St. Marys) – are uniting their voices to say that: “From a fire safety perspective, smoking in the home – and specifically in multi-unit dwelling – is a real risk.”
The statistics support this concern:
- In Ontario, from 2009-2013, lit smoking materials (cigarettes, cigars and pipes) were the ignition source in an average of 530 fires per year.
- They were the number one ignition source in fatal fires, accounting for 81 fatalities and 366 injuries in that five-year period.
- Locally, the Stratford Fire Department reports that in the last 10 years, it responded to 489 fire-related emergency calls, almost half (221) of which were related to smoking or smoking materials.
Health Effects
Research also shows that up to 65% of the air in a unit can come from other units in the building, depending on the age and design of the building. This means cigarette smoke from one unit is drifting into the other units in the building. “There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke,” says Miriam Klassen, Medical Officer of Health. “The need for smoke-free rental units is an important issue in Perth County to help protect the health of our residents.”
From a financial perspective, landlords report that it typically costs two to three times as much money to turn over a unit where heavy smoking has occurred as it does for a non-smoking unit.
Smoke-Free Housing in Perth County
Currently in Perth County, the Health Unit is aware of at least 45 multi-unit rental buildings that have implemented smoke-free policies, equaling approximately 509 smoke-free units.
Rental property owners in Perth County that implement a smoke-free policy will receive a certificate of recognition on behalf of the Health Unit and local Fire Department. The certificate can be displayed in a public area and inform visitors and tenants of the smoke-free status of the building.
If you are a rental property owner or landlord who wants to implement a smoke-free policy, contact the Health Unit for help at 519-271-7600 ext 772 or toll-free at 1-877-271-7348 ext 772.
For a listing of smoke-free rental properties in Ontario, visit the Smoke-Free Housing Ontario website or call the Perth District Health Unit at 519-271-7600 ext 722.
Media Contact:
Rebecca Hill
Communications Manager
519-271-7600 ext 279
rhill@pdhu.on.ca
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