Spread Smoke Alarm Message During Fire Prevention Week

While fire safety should be a focus every day of the year, Fire Prevention Week is a timely opportunity to share smoke alarm safety reminders. It's time to test your smoke alarms and replace the batteries. Working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire in half. Meanwhile, three out of five fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

Smoke alarms should be tested monthly and replaced every ten years. Smoke alarms with non-replaceable, ten-year batteries are intended to last for up to ten years and be replaced after that. Any other smoke alarm with a replaceable battery should have its batteries replaced once a year. Any time a smoke alarm chirps, warning the battery is low, replace that smoke alarm and/or battery immediately.

Here are some smoke alarm safety tips:

• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.

• Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. This way, when one sounds, they all do.

• Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.

• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don't respond properly.

• Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it.

• If the smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside. Go to your outside meeting place.

• Call the fire department from outside the home.

Remember, location matters when it comes to your smoke alarm. The fact is, most fatal fires occur at night when people are asleep. Often, victims never wake up. A working smoke alarm will detect smoke and sound an alarm to alert you, giving you precious time to escape. So remember the message behind this year's Fire Prevention Week campaign, "Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!"