This May Save You or Your Families Lives – Important Fire Prevention

Fire Departments in the Washington Metropolitan Area are reminding people to change their batteries in their home smoke alarm systems. This warning will give them the time required to get their families out of their houses before it’s too late. Smoke alarms do save lives!

Did you know according to a report by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the years from 2005 to 2009, that approximately 66 percent of the people who died from home fire deaths did not have a smoke alarm or there were “no” working smoke alarm? If your home does not have a smoke alarm/alarms, you should purchase one or several to eliminate a possible death in your family and also yourself. Many fires, after they ignite, go up in flames really fast and someone in a bedroom upstairs or in a basement area may not be able to escape.

As we approach a new season, we should check our smoke alarms to ensure they’re working properly, aren’t missing their batteries, or if the batteries need to be changed and if the connections are working properly. I’ve found that by doing this as the seasons change, I feel secure and safe throughout the year.

Fires often occur either late at night or in the early morning hours and when people are in a deep sleep, and without fire alarms or no-working alarms, this could cause them to lose their life or their entire families lives.

In U.S. homes that had smoke alarms, 23 percent of fire deaths occurred when their smoke alarms failed to operate because of missing or dead batteries, or disconnections. The NFPA indicates that households without working smoke alarms outnumber households with “no” alarms.

Did you know that 3,000 people in the U.S. die in home fires each year, and most, are homes without any working smoke alarms. If we keep our smoke alarms properly installed, and do our season checks, we can prevent deaths and prevent injuries due to fires. This is my saying, “It’s wise to keep smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms testedâÂ?¦they do save lives.”

Listed below are some life saving tips that may save your life and your families too:

(1) Make sure all levels of your home have smoke alarms.

(2) Hit the test buttons on smoke alarms at least once a month.

(3) Do your seasonal smoke alarm and carbon monoxide check and don’t forget to change batteries every year.

(4) Don’t get into a habit of removing batteries from a smoke alarm to use elsewhere and forget to put it back inâÂ?¦this is a complete no, no.

(5) Check your smoke alarm to see what its life span is, and if it’s outdated, replace it. You may want to consider installing a 10-year lithium battery-powered smoke alarm because they’re sealed and cannot be tampered with or opened.

(6) Keep smoke alarms vacuumed or dusted to keep them working properly.

(7) Teach your children what the smoke alarm sounds like and give them instructions on what to do if there is a fire.

(8) Do not dismantle a smoke alarm if it sets off the smoke alarm while you’re cooking; open your doors, windows, wave a towel to get the smoke out, and then, press the hush button.

Source:
New & Messenger Serving Prince William, Manassas & Manassas Park, by Kim Hylander, Prince William County Fire and Rescue