Accepting the Enbridge support for firefighting training and education. Left to right: Darcy Provost deputy chief Russell Fire Station 2, Russell Township fire chief Brian McBain, Mayor Pierre Leroux, eastern region operations supervisor, Enbridge Gas Rick Gazda and deputy chief Embrun Fire Station 2, Ian Courville. Morin Photo

EMBRUN – Russell fire services received support from Enbridge Gas through the gas company’s Safe Community Project Zero and Safe Community Project Assist.

On Wed., Feb. 1, eastern region operations supervisor, Enbridge Gas Rick Gazda met with members of the Russell Fire Services at Fire Station number 1 in Embrun.

“This year, Enbridge Gas is donating $250,000 to Safe Community Project Zero,” said Gazda.

The program is designed to bring the number of residential fire and carbon monoxide deaths to zero. Since the beginning of the project 14 years ago, more than 76,000 alarms have been distributed across Ontario.

Russell Township is one of the municipalities from across Ontario that will be receiving combination smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms for local homes.

Gazda said, “We have a long history of supporting the communities we serve, and safety is our top priority.”

He said, educating the public about the importance of having fuel-burning appliances inspected annually by a licensed contractor, and installing testing combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms as a crucial second line of defense.

Since 2012, 294 grants have been given to Ontario’s fire departments.

Carbon monoxide is a toxic, odorless gas that is a by-product of incomplete combustion of many types of common fuels, including oil, gasoline, propane, kerosene, natural gas, wood, wood pellets or coal.