Fire prevention week starts Sunday
Most homes have smoke detectors, but many are not in working order. So, for Fire Prevention Week, the emphasis this year is on installing and maintaining the life savers.
The National Fire Protection Association says that in 2008, two out of five home fire deaths were in homes with no alarms at all, and one in five was in a home with a non-working detector.
Gordon Kotars, a vounteer with Taunton's Fire Dept. and a member of the Firemen's Association of the State of NY, says not installing batteries, or having dead batteries, is the biggest reason detectors don't alarm. Everyone's urged to change batteries twice a year (when we move the clocks is an easy time to remember). Also, Kotars says home improvement projects, like painting, can impair the detector--he suggests making sure they're always clean, including of dust and insects and spiders.
Testing may be uncomfortable to the ear, but it's also a failsafe.
For more: www.firepreventionweek.org
