Fire Prevention Week, which is Oct. 9-15, and the theme is “Don’t Wait, Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years.”
A fire is one of the most destructive and devastating things that can happen to
your home or business. And the National Fire Protection Association™ (NFPA) most recent statistics regarding fires are eye opening.
In 2014, there were 494,000 structure fires in this country, which caused 2,860 deaths, 13,425 injuries and an astounding $9.8 billion in property damage. Fire departments responded to a fire every 24 seconds (this includes vehicle fires, outside fires, etc.), but more surprising might be the fact that there was one home structure fire reported every 86 seconds.
Let that sink in for a moment…over the course of one hour that translates into nearly 42 home fires, or about 1,008 fires in a 24-hour period. Imagine the property damage, loss of life and injuries that occur in just one day’s time.
That’s one reason that during Fire Prevention Month, which is October, the NFPA decided that this year’s official theme for Fire Prevention Week, which is Oct. 9-15, is “Don’t Wait: Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years.”
The focus of this campaign is to make people understand the importance of checking their smoke alarms. Studies show that only a small percentage of people know how old their smoke alarms are or how often they need to be replaced.
Smoke alarms should, in fact, be replaced at least every 10 years. Because many people don’t realize this, it puts them and their homes at an increased risk for a home fire.
According to the NFPA, in 20 percent of all U.S. homes with smoke alarms, the smoke alarms aren’t working properly or at all and three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without smoke alarms (38 percent) or with inoperable smoke alarms (21 percent).
Just because you have smoke alarms in your home that doesn’t automatically protect you from fires. It takes regular testing and maintenance to make sure you’re as safe as you can possibly be.
And at Fleenor Security, our intrusion detection system can also serve as your home’s fire and gas detection system with the addition of low voltage smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detectors.
Our fire detection systems generally consist of smoke detectors (placed in bedrooms, hallways and on each floor of the structure), heat detectors (generally placed in laundry rooms, attics, unfinished basements and garages), carbon monoxide detectors (located in or near bedrooms) and natural and propane gas detectors (placed in HVAC equipment rooms).
Give us a call today so we can talk to you about installing a fire detection system!
