Location matters when it comes to your smoke alarm. That’s the message behind this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!”
The Arcadia Fire Department, along with firefighters and safety advocates nationwide, is joining forces with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 4-10, 2015, to remind local residents about the importance of having working smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement.
According to the latest NFPA research, 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.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign includes the following smoke alarm messages:
-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.
During the month of October, the Arcadia Fire Department will be spreading the word and providing information on the necessity of having working smoke alarms in every bedroom. For further information, contact the Fire Prevention Bureau at (626) 574-5104 or visit the City’s website under the Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Section at www.ci.arcadia.ca.us. You can also check out the NFPA’s web site at www.firepreventionweek.org and www.sparky.org/fpw.
