Yep, it’s Fire Prevention week from Oct 6th to the 12th this year. We hope you all have smoke detectors in your home. If you don’t, please get them and get them installed and working as soon as you can. They can and will save your life as well as the lives of loved ones! We recently had a fire in Mt. Penn in which the smoke detectors played a critical role in making sure that everybody escaped unharmed.
According to NFPA statistics the majority of U.S. home fire deaths continue to occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Having working smoke alarms in the home reduces the risk of dying in a home fire by more than half (54 percent). However, roughly three out of five fire deaths occur in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. More than one-third (38 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present.
Here’s a few quick tips for you to get started.
- Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of the home.
- Make sure smoke alarms meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
- Test smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or don’t respond when tested
For more guidance you can check out the NFPA website at https://www.nfpa.org/events/fire-prevention-week
