Ensure Working Smoke Detectors

FORT THOMAS, KY, February 9, 2007. The tragic events this week in Bardstown, KY remind us of the need to review our home escape plans and ensure working smoke detectors. According to the United States Fire Administration there were 3675 fire deaths in the US in 2005. That year there were nearly 18,000 fire related injuries. Although 90% of all residences have smoke alarms today, 74% of home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Working Smoke Alarms do save lives but are just tools in the escape process. We must all create and practice home escape plans. Know how you and your children will react before a fire.

Richard Peddicord, Assistant Director of the Kentucky State Fire Marshall’s Office states “99% of all structure fire deaths in Kentucky occur in private residences. The very place we feel the safest.” According to Mr. Peddicord there were 77 structure fire deaths in Kentucky in 2006. The National Fire Protection Association ranks Kentucky ninth in the nation in fire related deaths. The Bardstown fire deaths represent the largest Kentucky loss of life in a single fire since the 1977 Beverly Hills Fire.

In some areas the local Red Cross or Fire Department can make smoke detectors available at no or reduced costs. Contact your local agency for more information.

Installation, maintenance and testing tips (source NFPA):

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, making sure that there is an alarm outside every separate sleeping area.

• If you sleep with bedroom doors closed, have a qualified electrician install interconnected smoke alarms in each room so that when one alarm sounds, they all sound.

• Mount smoke alarms high on walls or ceilings (remember, smoke rises). Ceiling mounted alarms should be installed at least four inches away from the nearest wall; wall-mounted alarms should be installed 4 to 12 inches away from the ceiling.

• Don't install smoke alarms near windows, doors, or ducts where drafts might interfere with their operation.

• Never paint smoke alarms. Paint, stickers, or other decorations could keep the alarms from working.

• Test your smoke alarms once a month, following the manufacturer's instructions.

• Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm once a year, or as soon as the alarm "chirps" warning that the battery is low. Hint: schedule battery replacements for the same day you change your clocks from daylight savings time to standard time in the fall.

• Never "borrow" a battery from a smoke alarm. Smoke alarms can't warn you of fire if their batteries are missing or have been disconnected.

• Don't disable smoke alarms even temporarily. If your smoke alarm is sounding "nuisance alarms," try relocating it farther from kitchens or bathrooms, where cooking fumes and steam can cause the alarm to sound.

• Regularly vacuuming or dusting your smoke alarms, following the manufacturer's instructions, can keep them working properly.

• Smoke alarms don't last forever. Replace yours once every 10 years. If you can't remember how old the alarm is, then it's probably time for a new one.

• Consider installing smoke alarms with "long-life" (10-year) batteries.

• Plan regular fire drills to ensure that everyone knows exactly what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. Hold a drill at night to make sure that sleeping family members awaken at the sound of the alarm.