Smoke Alarms: Up, Down and All Around

  • Published
  • By Grant Smith
  • 354th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  In an effort to better educate communities throughout the U.S. about smoke alarm recommendations, the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association is promoting "Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!" as the theme for this year's Fire Prevention Week campaign, Oct. 3 through 9, which Eielson AFB is supporting locally. NFPA has been the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for 88 years.

"Many homes in the North Star Borough may not have any smoke alarms, not enough smoke alarms, alarms that are too old, or alarms that are not working," said Master Sgt. Brad Eveland, Chief of Fire Prevention of the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department. "We want residents to understand that working smoke alarms are needed in every home, on every level (including the basement), outside each sleeping area and inside each bedroom."

Housing residents on Eielson AFB should contact the housing maintenance contractor when problems occur with their smoke detectors. If a detector is faulty it will be considered an emergency work order and repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

Smoke alarms can mean the difference between life and death in a fire, according to Sergeant Eveland.

NFPA statistics show that working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire nearly in half. But they must be working properly to do so. The association's data shows that many homes have smoke alarms that aren't working or maintained properly, usually because of missing, disconnected or dead batteries. Roughly two-thirds of all home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

"Most people have a sense of complacency about smoke alarms because they already have one in their home. Fire Prevention Week provides an excellent opportunity to re-educate people about smoke alarms, new technologies and expanded options for installation and maintenance," said Judy Comoletti, division manager for NFPA public education. "Ultimately, we want this year's campaign to serve as a call to action for households nationwide to inspect their homes to ensure that their families have the full smoke alarm protection that's recommended."

Eielson AFB Fire Department offers the following tips for making sure smoke alarms are maintained and working properly:

· Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button, and make sure everyone in your home knows the sound.
· If an alarm "chirps" warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.
· Replace all smoke alarms, including alarms that use 10-year batteries and hard-wired alarms, when they're 10 years old (or sooner) if they do not respond properly when tested.
· Never remove or disable a smoke alarm.

The Eielson Fire Department will be hosting multiple events on base during Fire Prevention Week to promote "Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!" locally, and to help residents understand NFPA's smoke alarm recommendations. Through these educational, family-oriented activities, residents can learn more about the power of smoke alarms, newer options for installing and maintaining them properly, and ultimately, how to better protect their loved ones from fire.

To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities on Eielson AFB, please contact the Eielson AFB Fire Department at 377-1293 or send an email to 354 CES/CEF Fire Prevention Office@eielson.af.mil. To learn more about "Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!," visit NFPA's Web site at www. firepreventionweek.org.