When the smoke detector refused to stop beeping at Emmanuel and Comfort Obeng's new Barrie home, they feared something was wrong.
Comfort loves to cook but even with no smoke from her frying yams the alarm in their Ferndale Dr. townhouse just wouldn't shut off.
The couple and their two young children moved from Toronto Jan. 25 to enjoy the 'quiet' Barrie lifestyle.
But a recent fatal fire in Brampton kept Comfort up at night.
A 19-year-old girl and her parents were killed in the blaze. An eight-year old girl survived the fire but suffered third-degree burns and smoke inhalation.
"That was so sad. I couldn't sleep," said Comfort, who immediately called Barrie Fire to inspect their smoke alarms.
"We needed help because what was going on I don't think it's normal."
It turns out the alarms in their new home had expired seven years ago.
"The date was way back. She told us we have to replace everything," said Emmanuel. "She wrote down everything we need. Anything can happen since the alarm is expired."
In the southwest part of Barrie, another new homeowner and his family were spurred into action by the Brampton tragedy.
Forrest Gao, his wife and 7-year-old son moved into their Grants Way Home last year.
It's the first home the family has purchased since moving to Canada from China ten years ago.
He too was moved by the fire tragedy.
"There's a family of four family members and three are dead," said Gao. "I thought maybe it's time to call to inspect our alarm system."
The software engineer read on the fire department's website about inspections so he called and made an appointment.
The outcome of the fire safety check was distressing.
"The house is sixteen years old. All three alarms are 15 years old," said Gao. "The fire inspector told me we have to replace smoke alarms every ten years maximum."
Gao bought three new smoke alarms, CO detectors and a fire extinguisher.
"I feel really good," he said. "I feel no worry at all about the alarm system and I learned a lot of knowledge from that officer. How to test the alarm, an escape plan. All of the knowledge is really important to us and I feel very safe now."
Barrie Fire doesn't normally get regular calls for home inspections and they rarely receive requests from families who say they're concerned about their alarm systems.
But the blaze in Brampton appears to have shaken many Barrie residents.
"It takes a tragedy to get people's attention. There have been 15 fire fatalities this year," said Barrie Fire's Samantha Hoffmann.
"What happened in Brampton is horrific. It's inspiring people in Barrie to reach out."
Like the Obengs, Gao was also impressed by the service from the fire department.
He plans to spread the word to friends and neighbours to ensure 'everyone is safe.'
When Comfort called, she was pleasantly surprised the fire inspector promptly came the next day.
The Obengs say they also learned important fire safety information.
"She's so nice. I am happy to meet here because she have time to check everything. This is the first time we've bought a house so we don't know."
Comfort says the fire service has time for everyone and Barrie residents shouldn't hesitate to call.
"I'm pleading with the public that they should do that because life is precious," said Comfort. "They have time for everybody.They will come and check it for you to be safe."
