A working smoke alarm can save your life and your home

We live in a world of chirps, beeps and buzzers that remind us to retrieve our coffee from the microwave, shut the refrigerator door or join the office conference call.

Some can be downright annoying, but others, such as the reminder to buckle up or the warning of smoke in our home, can save our lives.

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety,” highlights the importance of home smoke alarms and the necessity of keeping them in working order.

According to the latest statistics from the National Fire Prevention Association, working smoke alarms in the home reduce the risk of dying in a reported fire by more than 50 %.

However, nearly 3 out of 5 home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms (41 percent) or smoke alarms that failed to operate (16 percent). Missing or non-working power sources, such as disconnected batteries, dead batteries, and disconnected hardwired alarms or other AC power issues are the most common factors when smoke alarms fail.

“A working smoke alarm in your home is as basic as electricity and running water for safety,” says Katie Hollowed, program manager for the South Carolina Burn Center at MUSC Health. “It can save your life, your family and pets, and your home.

“They’re also easy to maintain. Never dismantle your smoke alarm if the battery begins to chirp. It can seem like an annoyance, but that’s your early warning that the battery needs replacing. Do it immediately.”

The NFPA has issued the following advice for home smoke alarms:

• When a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide (CO) alarm sounds, get out as quickly as possible.
• If your alarm begins to chirp, it may mean that the batteries are running low and need replacing. If the alarm continues to chirp after the batteries are replaced or if the alarm is more than 10 years old, it’s time to get a new alarm.
• Test all smoke and CO alarms monthly. Press the test button to make sure the alarm is working.
• If someone in your household is deaf or hard of hearing, install bed shaker and strobe light alarms that will alert that person to fire.
• Know the difference between the sound of a smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide alarm – three beeps for smoke alarms; four beeps for carbon monoxide alarms.

About Fire Prevention Week

According to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. It was first observed in 1922.