Fire Prevention Week

DAR members, Nadine Bray, Women's Issue's chairman shows her display for Fire Prevention Week to Lila Fordyce.

October 9-15, 2011 is Fire Prevention Week.  This year’s theme is “It’s Fire Prevention Week.  Protect your family from Fire.”  As always the focus of Fire Prevention Week is to prevent home fires.  This year, the campaign is also urging people to protect their homes and families with planning and life-saving technology – like smoke alarms.

Smoke alarms are an important part of a home fire escape plan.  Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half.  Unfortunately, many homes have smoke alarms that just don’t work.  In fact, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), roughly two-thirds of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. About one in five of smoke alarm failures was due to dead batteries.

So when you set your clocks back on November 6, use the extra hour to make a life-saving change in your household – change and test the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors – and remind your friends, family, and neighbors to do the same.  This simple act takes just a moment, but is the best defense your family has against the devastating effects of a home fire.

Do you have a smoke alarm?
Do you have carbon monoxide detectors?
Do you have a plan for keeping the batteries fresh?

Keep yours alert by changing the batteries when daylight savings time ends on November 6th.  Remember “Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery®.”

posted by Nadine Bray