Don’t overlook some of your home’s simple, but important safety devices: Smoke alarms.
The smoke alarms in your home that just become part of the visual landscape each day actually are probably some of the most important safety devices you own. Do you take ever check whether your smoke alarms are in working order, and whether you have enough in your home to do the job correctly?
October 4-10 is National Fire Prevention Week. This year’s theme focuses on the importance of installing a smoke alarm in each bedroom of the home and on each level of the home. The theme, “Hear the beep where you sleep: Every bedroom needs a working smoke alarm,” reminds residents that having a sufficient number of properly located smoke alarms is essential to maximize valuable escape time.
According to National Fire Prevention statistics, half of all U.S. home fire deaths occur between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., a time when most are sleeping.
Here’s another factor that affects home fires. Current fire research has demonstrated that today’s fabrics used in furnishings have changed the home fire landscape. Fires today can spread much more rapidly than in the past when more natural materials were used.
Statistics show just how important the working smoke alarm is during an emergency. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half, according to the National Fire Prevention Institute. Three of every five home fire deaths was the result of a fire in a home with no smoke alarms or with no working smoke alarms. And one more statistic: When it comes to home fire deaths, no smoke alarms were present in 37 percent of the home fire deaths.
Keeping your smoke alarms in working order is the second part of the smoke alarm safety equation. Here are suggested maintenance tips from the National Fire Prevention Association:
· Test your smoke alarms every month
· When a smoke alarm sounds, go outside and stay outside
· Replace all smoke alarms in your home every 10 years
For more information and resources about choosing the right fire alarms for different areas of your home, go to www.nfpa.org contact call Battalion Chief Rick Martin at 688-8400 or via email at rmartin@AndersonTownship.org.