If only
firefighters could snap their fingers and supply everyone with
working smoke alarms, listed by a qualified testing laboratory,
for every level of their homes.
If only
everyone tested their alarms every month, put in a fresh battery
once a year, and replaced alarms when they were more than 10 years
old.
...Firefighters
would feel more confident about the ability of families to survive
a home fire.
Something so
simple and so inexpensive really makes a world of difference when
the time comes to being alerted to fire. It's hard to believe that
despite smoke alarms being available to consumers for many years,
nearly 6 percent of American homes are still completely
unprotected according to the NFPA (National Fire Protection
Association). Half of all home fire deaths occur in these homes.
And while 15 out
of 16 homes in the U.S. have a smoke alarm, many households (maybe
yours?) lack the proper number - at least one on every level,
including the basement.
No smoke alarm
can save your life if it isn't working which, according to NFPA,
is true for about a quarter of the alarms installed in U.S. homes.
A 1993 study by
the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Smoke Detector
Project found that about
-
one-fifth of
the smoke alarms in people's homes were not connected to a
working power source
-
11 percent of
the units were missing batteries
-
5 percent had
dead batteries
-
3 percent had
disconnected batteries
-
1 percent had
been disconnected from the A/C power source
Clymer
Volunteer Fire Company firefighters have seen with our own eyes the difference
between a home protected by adequate smoke alarms and those
without them. Help us save lives by taking action today to ensure
your family is well equipped to survive a fire in your home. Smoke
alarms provide an important early warning.
But don't stop
there. An escape
plan is part of a good overall home fire safety plan. With
everyone in your household, plan two escape routes from every
room, then practice your home fire drill at least twice a year.
Have a central meeting place outside, like next to the mailbox or
oak tree. Never go back into a burning building.
For more
information on home fire safety:
-
download the
free fact sheets on NFPA's Web site, at www.nfpa.org
-
visit the
Clymer Volunteer Fire Company Web site at www.ClymerFire.org
-
call the fire
department Non-emergency Number 724.254.9565
