| If you have been reading this column for any length of time, you probably have read about the importance of having working smoke alarms in your home. The statistics all point to safer citizens in homes with working smoke alarms, as opposed to no alarms or alarms that are not working. They are inexpensive and simple to install. If you still are not sold on installing and testing them, let's take a look at some recent fires in the news.
On July 14, a fire broke out in Clearfield, Utah, home of an 18 year-old man, who was watching his niece and nephew. The smoke alarms went off in the morning, awakening the man. He woke up and got both children out of the house. Besides the life-saving success story, the early warning provided gave firefighters the opportunity to attack the fire when it was still small. Damages to the home were an estimated $20,000-$25,000.
On July 16, a Ledgeview, Wisconsin, couple was sleeping in their home when the smoke alarm alerted them to a fire in an upstairs bedroom. This fire was also caught in its early stages, thanks to the smoke alarm. Fire damage was limited to one bedroom in the large, two-story home. Other parts of the home did suffer some smoke damage, but no injuries occurred in this fire.
Another fire broke out in the early morning hours at a Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, home. A husband, wife and their two children, ages 9 and 12, escaped the blaze that destroyed their single-family home. The family was asleep when they were awakened by the smoke alarm sounding. They got themselves out of the home quickly and called the fire department from outside the home. The husband was quoted as saying ‘We're thankful for working smoke alarms.'
On July 15, a short in the electrical panel sparked a fire at a home in Danville, Virginia. The early-morning blaze started in the basement and spread to the upper floor. The smoke alarm woke the lone occupant of the home, who escaped without injury.
Smoke alarms should be installed, as an absolute minimum, on each and every level of the home. They should also be placed outside of sleeping areas, but placing more alarms inside bedrooms makes good sense. They should be installed on the ceiling, where smoke collects during the early phases of a fire. The vast majority of smoke alarms are independent units that rely on a battery for power. The battery, in most cases, should be replaced annually and the unit should be tested each and every month.
Get the whole family involved on your monthly trek through the home, testing smoke alarms along the way. Discuss your family fire escape plan while you are doing this, and follow that up with a fire drill, starting with each family member in their specific bedroom. This makes sense as most fires start at night, when most people are sleeping. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any Livonia firefighter for help.
Tom Kiurski is training coordinator for the Livonia Fire Department.
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