The theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign is “Don’t Wait: Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 years.”
This is the third year the organization has turned its Fire Prevention Week focus to the importance of smoke alarm safety, in response to surveys conducted by the NFPA that show most of the public does not know how old their smoke alarms are, according to the NFPA.
“Smoke alarms play an essential role in home fire safety, but they have to be working properly in order to protect people,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of the NFPA’s Outreach and Advocacy division.
According to a 2015 report on the NFPA website, in 20 percent of U.S. homes with smoke alarms, the alarms are not working.
“People tend to assume that simply having smoke alarms in their home ensures adequate protection from fires, but it takes regular testing and maintenance to ensure that that’s the case,” Carli said in a news release.
The NFPA recommends the following guidelines on smoke alarm replacement and maintenance:
- Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years
- Keep a record of how old all of the smoke alarms are in your home.
- The date of manufacture is listed on the back of a smoke alarm.
The Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s office also provides the following guidelines on fire safety:
- When installing a smoke detector, place 12 inches from the ceiling for a wall mount, 12 inches from any wall for a ceiling mount, and 3 feet from the highest point for high-pitch ceilings.
- Do not install a smoke detector near a window, door, air register or ceiling fan.
- At least one smoke detector should be installed on each level of a home with a minimum of one detector outside each sleeping area and one inside each sleeping room.
- Change the smoke alarm batter twice a year, or when it starts chirping. Changing the batteries the same time you change your clocks in the spring and fall is a good way to ensure this gets done.
- Test smoke detectors once a month.
- Vacuum the vents in the detector at least once a year.
For additional information about fire prevention in Montgomery County, contact the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s office at 936-538-8288 or visit www.mctx.org to learn more about its community outreach programs.
