10.4.21 – News Advocate
Do you know the difference between smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm sounds?
Do you know what fire safety sounds like?
It is National Fire Protection Week and the National Fire Protection Association announced this year’s theme is Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety.
From beeps to chirps, this year’s campaign works to better educate the public about the sounds smoke alarms make, what those sounds mean, and how to respond to them.
Lorraine Carli, National Fire Protection Association vice president of outreach and advocacy, said in a news release about the campaign that smoke alarms are a key piece of fire prevention.
“Smoke alarms have played a leading role in reducing fire death rates over the past 40 years, but we still have more work to do in maximizing their effectiveness,” Carli said in the release.
According to the latest Smoke Alarms in the U.S. report from the association, working smoke alarms in the home reduce the risk of dying in a reported fire by about 55%.
However, the release states that almost three out of five home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms, 41%, or smoke alarms that failed to operate,16%; missing or non-functional power sources, including missing or disconnected batteries, dead batteries, and disconnected hardwired alarms or other alternate current power issues, are the most common factors when smoke alarms fail to operate.
“When the smoke alarms in your home beep or chirp and you can’t figure out why — or how to make them stop — it can be frustrating. All too often, that frustration leads people to remove the batteries from their alarms or dismantle them altogether,” Carli said. “These actions place people at serious risk in the event of a home fire.”
This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme helps people better understand the reasons smoke alarms may sound and the know-how to effectively address them, helping ensure that smoke alarms remain in working order.
The campaign also addresses special considerations for the deaf and hard of hearing, along with information about carbon monoxide alarms.
“Giving people the tools to properly respond to alarms sounding – whether it’s an actual fire or simply time to change a battery – can make a life-saving difference,” Carli said.
Key messages for Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety include:
- When a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide alarm sounds, respond immediately by exiting the home as quickly as possible;
- If your alarm begins to chirp, it may mean that the batteries are running low and need to be replaced. If the alarm continues to chirp after the batteries are replaced, or the alarm is more than 10 years old, it is time to replace the alarm;
- Test all smoke and CO alarms monthly. Press the test button to make sure the alarm is working;
- If there is someone in your household who is deaf or hard of hearing, install bed shaker and strobe light alarms that will alert that person to fire; and
- 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.
For more information about Fire Prevention Week, this year’s theme, along with other resources, visit fpw.org.