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October is Fire Safety Month – The (Your Town/City) Fire Department Says Residents Should Test Household Smoke Alarms and Plan Fire Drills

(Date) – All during Fire Safety Month, fire departments across America will be joining with the (Your Town/City) Fire Department in teaching fire prevention and fire safety to citizens of all ages.

Home fire safety education is especially important, because according to the nonprofit Home Safety Council, fire is the third leading cause of injury-related death in the home. The Home Safety Council’s State of Home Safety in America™ Report found that on average, unintentional fires and burns in the home cause more than 3,400 deaths each year. The (Your Town/City) Fire Department says that locally, (Fill in Your Local Statistics Here).

The (Your Fire Department) is urging (Your Town/City) residents to take the simple steps needed to protect themselves in case fire strikes. “With just a small investment of time, families can greatly improve their chances of surviving a home fire,” says (Your Spokesperson). These steps include installing working smoke alarms, testing them often, and planning and rehearsing home fire drills.

“Our research shows that nationally, only 20 percent of households regularly test their smoke alarms,” says Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council. “Frequent testing is essential because no home is safe without working smoke alarms.”

During Fire Safety Month and all year long, the Home Safety Council and the (Your Fire Department) urge (Your Town/City) residents to download free home fire safety information at www.homesafetycouncil.org and to follow this simple advice:

Install smoke alarms and keep them working

• When possible, install hard-wired, interconnected smoke alarms with battery back-up (these run on household wiring and are tied in together so that if one alarm operates they all signal together).
• Purchase smoke alarms that are listed by UL (look for the UL mark on packaging).
• Install smoke alarms outside sleeping areas and put at least one on every level, including the basement.
• For additional protection, install additional smoke alarms inside each room where people sleep.
• Test all smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the “test” button. Climb on a sturdy step-ladder, or use a broom handle to push the button.
• Install fresh batteries in all smoke alarms once every year, or when the alarm “chirps” to indicate low battery power.
• Replace smoke alarms every 8-10 years.

Develop a home fire escape plan and practice it

• Develop a home fire escape plan, and identify two escape routes from each room.
• Find and fix anything in your home that could interfere with a quick escape.
• Determine if anyone in your home has a hearing problem that would affect their ability to hear the smoke alarm. If so, purchase special smoke alarms that use strobes and/or vibration as the signal.
• If you have a multi-story home, you may want to purchase fire escape ladders for upstairs bedrooms (these should be part of your plan, deployed safely from a ground-floor window for practice).
• Identify a family meeting spot outside, so you can count heads.
• Every second counts in a fire -- hold drills at least twice a year.
• Push the “test” button to start the drill and so everyone knows the sound of the alarm. Practice using the escape routes you identified, getting outside quickly, and counting heads at your meeting spot.
• Parents and caregivers should be aware children often sleep through the smoke alarm signal and will need adult help to awaken and respond properly for fire drills and in the event of a real fire.

The Home Safety Council provides the public with free detailed information on fire prevention and fire safety, as well as on other important home injury prevention topics on the Home Safety Council Web site: www.homesafetycouncil.org.