Fire Prevention Week 2021
Mark your calendar! #Fire Prevention Week is October 3-9, 2021. This year’s theme, “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety! ™”, focuses on knowing the sounds that can save you, your family, and your home.
Download the “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety” coloring page
What is your alarm telling you?
SMOKE ALARMS
• A continued set of three loud beeps—beep, beep, beep—means smoke or fire. Get out, call 9-1-1, and stay out.
• A single “chirp” every 30 or 60 seconds means the battery is low and must be changed.
• All smoke alarms must be replaced after 10 years.
• Chirping that continues after the battery has been replaced means the alarm is at the end of its life and the unit must be replaced.
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) ALARMS
• A continuous set of four loud beeps—beep, beep, beep, beep—means carbon monoxide is present in your home. Go outside, call 9-1-1 and stay out.
• A single chirp every 30 or 60 seconds means the battery is low and must be replaced.
• CO alarms also have “end of life” sounds that vary by manufacturer. This means it’s time to get a new CO alarm.
• Chirping that continues after the battery has been replaced means the alarm is at the end of its life and the unit must be replaced.
Smoke alarm beeps
Smoke alarm beep with voice
Carbon Monoxide alarm
Low battery chirp
SAFETY TIPS
• Smoke alarms and alert devices are available for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Strobe lights flash when the smoke alarm sounds. The lights warn people of a possible fire.
• When people who are deaf are asleep, a pillow or bed shaker can wake them so they can escape. The shaker is activated by the sound of a smoke alarm.
• When people who are hard of hearing are asleep, an alert device that uses a loud, mixed, low-pitched sound can wake them. They may find a pillow or bed shaker helpful. These devices are triggered by the sound of the smoke alarm.
• Research the products and select the ones that best meet your needs.
WHERE TO FIND EQUIPMENT
Search home improvement store websites or use a general search engine to look for strobe light smoke alarms. BRK/First Alert, Gentex, and Kidde brands offer this type of smoke alarm. Find smoke alarm accessories
such as pillow or bed shakers, transmitters, and receivers at lifetonesafety.com, safeawake.com and silentcall.com. Choose devices that have the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
Is it working?
Smoke alarms save lives. Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. If there is a fire in your home, smoke spreads fast and you have less the two minutes to escape. Smoke alarms alert you to give you time to get out.
Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home.
Smoke alarms should be interconnected. When one sounds, they all sound.
Test your smoke alarms at least once a month. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working.
