IPSOS REID ANALYSIS: National Fire Safety Poll

Playing with Fire: Majority (55%) of Canadians Have Removed Batteries or Unhooked Smoke Alarms Due to False Alarm

One Half (51%) of Those Have Forgotten to Put Batteries Back in or Hook Alarm Back up to Ceiling

Toronto, ON – It appears that many Canadian homeowners could be playing with fire, with a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and Kidde Canada revealing that a majority of Canadians (55%) who currently own and live in a house that is at least ten years old indicate that they have ‘temporarily removed the batteries from a smoke alarm or taken it off the ceiling to silence a false alarm caused by cooking or steam’.  Moreover, over one half (51%) of these individuals admit that they have forgotten to put the batteries back in or to hook the alarm back up, whether it be only for a ‘short period of time’ (40%) or for ‘quite a long time’ (11%). 

But when it comes to their homes, most Canadians appear to be taking some strides to ensuring their fire safety. In fact, six in ten (62%) say they change the batteries in their smoke alarms at least twice a year.  Moving past the simple task of replacing batteries, though, the data reveal that many Canadians seem unaware of the necessity of changing the actual smoke alarm unit and not just the battery. More specifically, four in ten (37%) believe that battery-operated smoke alarms last for as long as their in their house, provided that the batteries are changed regularly, and a similar proportion (35%) thinks that smoke alarms that are wired into their home’s electrical system never need to be replaced.

But while three quarters (74%) suggest that pushing the test button on a smoke alarm and hearing a response means that the alarm is working properly and does not need to be replaced, contradictorily, three quarters (77%) agree that smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years, even if they still seem to be working correctly.

As well, it would appear as though there is some confusion as to where smoke alarms should be placed, with most indicating that they have a smoke alarm outside their main level sleeping areas (90%), basement or lower level (87%), or outside 2nd or 3rd story sleeping areas (84%), but much lower proportions suggesting that they have an alarm in their living or family room (54%), kitchen (47%) or in their garage (10%). 

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and Kidde Canada from February 14 to February 19, 2008. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 2233 Canadians who currently own and live in a house that is at least 10 years old was interviewed online.  With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within ±2.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of homeowners been polled.  The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.  These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

For full tabular results, please visit our website at www.ipsos.ca.  News Releases are available at: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country’s leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 300 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid’s Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada - including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country - all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, visit www.ipsos.ca