Fire Prevention Week | October 6-12

October 6-12 is Fire Prevention Week. This year's focus is on a critical component of home safety: your smoke alarms. "Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work for You," serves as an important reminder for residents to ensure their smoke alarms are functioning properly to keep your home and family safe.

Here are a few essential tips to make sure your smoke alarms are ready: 

• Test your alarms monthly – Smoke alarms should be tested every month to ensure they are working properly. Press the test button to make sure the alarm sounds.
• Change batteries yearly – If your smoke alarm uses batteries, make a habit of changing them once a year. A good rule of thumb is to do this when you change your clocks for daylight saving time.
• Replace alarms every 10 years – Smoke alarms don’t last forever. If your smoke alarm is more than 10 years old, it’s time to replace it with a new one. Check the date on the back of the device.
• Install alarms in the right places – Ensure you have smoke alarms installed on every level of your home, inside each bedroom, and outside sleeping areas. Alarms should be mounted on ceilings or high on walls.
• Interconnect alarms for better protection – If possible, connect your smoke alarms so that when one sounds, they all do. This gives everyone in the house more time to escape.
• Consider alarms for people with hearing impairments – If anyone in your home is hearing impaired, use alarms with flashing lights or vibrating devices to alert them to danger.

 

Don’t wait for an emergency to realize your smoke alarms aren’t working. Take these simple steps today to keep your household safe.