BOSTON, MA — When was the last time you replaced your smoke alarms, not just the batteries? State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan and Wellesley Fire Chief Rick DeLorie, president of the Fire Chiefs’ Association of Massachusetts, recently announced the launch of a new statewide smoke alarm public awareness campaign – Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With – that focuses on replacing aging smoke alarms.
Coan said, “Most people know they are supposed to have working smoke alarms, but the one thing most people don’t know is that they should replace their entire alarms about every ten years.” Major manufacturers of smoke alarms indicate they have a service life of about ten years and recommend replacement after that.
Chief DeLorie said, “Over the course of ten years, we all replace many home appliances such as toasters, coffee makers, even refrigerators. No home appliance lasts forever. It’s important to replace aging smoke alarms too.”
Smoke Alarms – A Sound You Can Live With
The statewide campaign is designed to support local fire department education efforts and will include television and radio public service announcements (PSAs), transit ads, and social media.
No Working Smoke Alarms in 36% of Fire Deaths in 1 & 2-Family Homes
In 2014, you were more likely to die in a fire in a one- and two-family home than in any other residence and one without a working smoke alarm. There were 10% more fire deaths in one- and two-family homes than all other residential occupancies combined. Thirty-six percent of the fire deaths in one- and two-family homes occurred where there no working smoke alarms or where they failed to operate.
In a fire seconds count. Fire doubles in size every sixty seconds. The products in the modern home emit extremely toxic gases. Smoke and heat can make escape impossible in less than 2-3 minutes in the average home that does not have sprinklers. Working smoke alarms provide early warning and give families crucial seconds to use their escape plan.
For more information on smoke alarms and home escape plans, contact your local fire department or the Department of Fire Services at http://www.mass.gov/DFS.
(NOTE: The above press release is from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.)
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