Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work For You

“Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!”
Fire Prevention Week October 6-12

The Prince Albert Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® — the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week^TM — to promote this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” This year’s focus on working smoke alarms comes in response to NFPA data, which shows that the majority of home fire deaths continue to occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

“Smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a home fire, but they have to be working in order to deliver the needed protection,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of the Outreach and Advocacy division at NFPA. “This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign reinforces the critical importance of smoke alarms and what’s needed to install, test, and maintain them properly.”

Having working smoke alarms in the home reduces the risk of dying in a home fire by more than half (54 percent). However, roughly three out of five fire deaths occur in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. More than one-third (38 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present.

“People tend to remove smoke alarm batteries or dismantle them altogether when they don’t know how to fix the issue. These actions put them at serious risk in the event of a home fire,” said Carli. “This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign gives people the tools and know-how to keep their smoke alarms in working order.”

The Prince Albert Fire Department offers these key safety tips and practices:

• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of the home.
• Make sure smoke alarms meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
• Test smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or don’t respond when tested.

To kick off Fire Prevention Week, the Prince Albert Fire Department will be hosting an open house on Sunday, October 6, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

We would also like to encourage schools and pre-schools to book tours of the fire hall by calling 306-953-4200.

For more information about Fire Prevention Week and fire prevention in general, please visit http://www.fpw.org/, http://sparky.org/, and http://www.sparkyschoolhouse.org/.

For more information about this media release please contact:

Prince Albert Fire Department
76 15^th Street East
Prince Albert, Sk.
306-953-4200
pafd@citypa.com