Ontario is taking steps to ensure residents of retirement and long-term care homes are safe during fire emergencies. 

The government is committed to ensuring that more retirement and long-term care homes are equipped with sprinklers. Last month Premier McGuinty met with members of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs to discuss sprinklers and other ways to ensure fire safety.

In April, Ontario created a technical advisory committee that will make recommendations on a multi-pronged strategy for fire safety that includes installation of sprinklers in retirement homes, long-term care facilities and homes housing vulnerable individuals, along with other measures such as training, inspections and automatic door closers.

The government has expedited this process by four months to make sure the technical committee delivers its initial recommendations in the fall and has committed to making sure more retirement and long-term care homes across the province are equipped with sprinklers.

This is one more way the McGuinty government is working to improve quality of life for Ontario's seniors. This includes passing the Retirement Homes Act that regulates retirement homes and puts in place new measures to protect residents, and introducing the proposed Healthy Homes Renovation Tax Credit that will help more seniors stay in their homes longer. 

• Read more about fire prevention and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal.
• Find out about the Retirement Homes Act.
• Access the Long-Term Care Homes Act.