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Fire Safety

  • Published
  • 325th Civil Engineer Squadron
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Tyndall Fire and Emergency Services join with the National Fire Protection Association in promoting "Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!" as the theme for this year's Fire Prevention Week campaign Oct. 3-9.

Many homes may not have any smoke alarms, not enough smoke alarms, alarms that are too old, or alarms that are not working. Working smoke alarms are needed in every home, on every level (including the basement), outside each sleeping area and inside each bedroom. And, if a smoke alarm is more than 10 years old, it needs to be replaced.

Smoke alarm warnings can mean the difference between life and death in a fire. NFPA statistics show that working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire nearly in half, but they must be working properly to do so. The association's data shows that many homes have smoke alarms that aren't working or maintained properly, usually because of missing, disconnected or dead batteries. Roughly two-thirds of all home fire deaths result in homes with either a defective smoke alarm or none at all.

Tyndall Fire and Emergency Services will be hosting activities during Fire Prevention Week to promote "Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!" locally and to help residents understand NFPA's smoke alarm recommendations. Through these educational, family-oriented activities, residents can learn more about the power of smoke alarms, newer options for installing and maintaining them properly, and ultimately, how to better protect their loved ones from fire.

"Most people have a sense of complacency about smoke alarms because they already have one in their homes. Fire Prevention Week provides an excellent opportunity to re-educate people about smoke alarms, new technologies and expanded options for installation and maintenance," says Judy Comoletti, division manager for NFPA public education. "Ultimately, we want this year's campaign to serve as a call to action for households nationwide to inspect their homes to ensure that their families have the full smoke alarm protection that's recommended."

Tyndall Fire and Emergency Services offer the following tips for making sure smoke alarms are maintained and working properly:

· Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button, and make sure everyone in your home knows their sound.
· If an alarm "chirps," warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.
· Replace all smoke alarms, including alarms that use 10-year batteries and hard-wired alarms, when they're 10 years old (or sooner) if they do not respond properly when tested.
· Never remove or disable a smoke alarm.

To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities, contact Tyndall Fire and Emergency Services at 283-2909 or email fire.prevention@tyndall.af.mil. To learn more about "Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!" visit NFPA's Web site at www. firepreventionweek.org.