Fire Prevention Week urges residents not to neglect smoke alarms
Fire departments across the country are observing National Fire Prevention Week, and have used the week to urge people to keep up to date on their smoke detectors.
Each year, National Fire Prevention Week has a different theme, and this year, the theme is “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” The National Fire Prevention Association is using this week to target schools with an educational campaign on the importance of having working smoke alarms.
Riley Ferguson, lieutenant for the Middlesex Township Volunteer Fire Company, said a working smoke alarm could be the difference between life and death.
“Smoke detectors should be located in every bedroom, each hallway and on every level of your home,” Ferguson said. “When possible, a carbon monoxide alarm should also be installed in the hallway outside of bedrooms and on every floor of your home.”
He said smoke detectors should be tested at least once a month, and that they are generally good for 10 years from the date of purchase.
As part of Fire Prevention Week, the Butler City Firefighters IAFF Local 114 hosted a group of children from Educational Child Care in Butler for a tour of their station earlier this month.
Fire Prevention Week was first observed in 1922, and was made a national event in 1925 — thus making 2024 the 100th year of NFPW as a national observance. The event is celebrated over the week of Oct. 9 every year to coincide with the date of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 which killed roughly 300 people.
