Have you ever left home wondering if you shut off the stove, or left the coffee pot on?

A new invention born right here in Saskatoon out of a near tragedy is turning smoke detectors into an electrical kill switch, giving homeowners peace of mind. If something triggers the smoke detector, power will automatically be cut off to the stove and counter-top plugs.

Mike Ransom and Jackie Martin are the brains behind Viking Innovations latest product, the Dalmatian.

"We decided on Dalmatian because it's the fireman's dog looking over your house," Martin told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

Jackie Martin, vice president of Viking Innovations and Mike Ransom, president, hope every home in Canada is equipped with the Dalmatian. (Steve Pasqualotto/CBC) The Dalmatian is a large metal device an electrician hard-wires into a home's electrical box. Once the smoke detector in the home goes off, the Dalmatian senses the alarm going off and cuts off power to the stove and any counter-top plugs programmed into the system, and cuts the power to any appliances plugged in.

Ransom came up with the idea after a couple of sleepless nights shortly after coming home to a smoke-filled house. His wife accidentally left a pot of pasta on the stove and left to take their child to a swimming lesson. Luckily, Ransom came home to pick up his wallet and was welcomed by a blaring smoke detector and a heavily smoke-damaged kitchen.

"Mike was a journeyman electrician, so after a couple of sleepless nights, he came up with this idea to give the smoke alarm a function," Martin said.

Built in smartphone app included

Ideally, Martin and Ransom would like to see the Dalmatian in all new home builds, but the device can also be retrofitted into older homes. Martin said the Dalmatian would be a good investment for out-of-town landlords or building managers to keep a close eye on tenant activity and avoid major damage and repair costs from appliance fires.

Martin added the Dalmatian also comes with a smartphone app, allowing homeowners to turn off the power to their stove and countertop appliances in case they forgot to turn something off.

"So if you leave your house and you think 'I forgot to turn that stove off,' you can use an app on your phone and turn the power off remotely to those units," Martin said.

If you're in the kitchen while the smoke detector goes off, a reset switch is installed in the kitchen so homeowners don't need to rush to the electrical box to turn the power back on.

The Dalmatian starts at $299 plus installation. Martin said 50 homes in Saskatoon have already installed the Dalmatian, plus a couple of homes in Alberta and one in B.C.