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Star Staff Reports
“During a fire, every second counts! Make sure your family has a fire escape plan and your home has working smoke detectors,” said Dale Lane, Shelby County Office of Preparedness Director, this is all for safety reasons as you don’t want to ever risk anything like this. “Smoke detectors can give you time to escape, to get outside and stay outside until the fire department arrives on the scene.” During the week of October 9 – 15, National Fire Prevention Week, the Shelby County Office of Preparedness, in partnership with the United States Fire Administration, and the Shelby County Fire Department offer these smoke alarm safety tips:
- ? Install smoke detectors in every bedroom, outside of sleeping areas and on every level of the home, including basements. Larger homes will need more detectors.
- ? Test smoke detectors once a month.
- ? For smoke detectors with removable batteries, replace the batteries every 6 months
during Daylight Savings Time (when we “Spring Forward” and “Fall Back”).
- ? Smoke detector units should be replaced every 10 years. To do this, remove the smoke alarm from the wall or ceiling, check the back of the alarm for the date of manufacture, and replace the detector if it’s 10 years old (or if it is no longer working).
- ? Meet with your family to create a fire safety plan. Have two ways to escape from each room. Make sure doors and windows open easily. Practice your escape plan!
- ? If you have questions about your detector or if you do not have a working smoke detector, please contact your local fire station to apply for one.
“It is critically important that every home be equipped with a functioning smoke detector. Properly mounted, a quality detector more than doubles your chances of getting out of a home fire alive.” said Alvin Benson, the Fire Chief of Shelby County, Tennessee.
For more information about Fire Prevention Week please visit: www.usfa.fema.gov and www.staysafeshelby.us
