Fire Prevention Week Focuses On Smoke Alarms In Stafford

STAFFORD, NJ — The Stafford Fire Department is teaming up with State Farm and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to promote Fire Prevention Week, with this year’s theme being “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you.”

Fire Prevention Week this year runs Oct. 6 through 12. Its aim is to better educate the public about the critical importance of working smoke alarms. According to NFPA, working smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a fire by more than half (54 percent).

“Smoke alarms alert people in time to escape a home fire safely, but they have to be working in order to protect people,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA. “This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign highlights simple but critical steps people can take to ensure that the smoke alarms in their homes are installed, tested, and maintained properly.”

Most U.S. home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

In coordination with NFPA, Heidi Michel of the Township of Stafford Fire Department and local State Farm Agent Lisa Patchell are encouraging all residents to actively support this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign. They recommend testing all smoke alarms in the home, making sure they’re installed in all needed locations, and replacing them when they are 10 years old.

In addition, Patchell recently donated a toolkit of Fire Prevention Week resources to the Stafford Fire Department. The kit includes activities and information for children and adults, providing age-appropriate messages about smoke alarms and other home fire safety and prevention resources.

“Helping people manage the risks of everyday life is a fundamental part of our mission,” Patchell said. “Through our collaboration with NFPA and local fire departments, we are actively working towards increasing awareness about fire prevention.”

Patchell and the Stafford Fire Department shared the following safety tips:

• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of the home.
• Make sure smoke alarms meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
• Test smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or don’t respond when tested.

Fire Prevention Week is celebrated throughout North America every October and is the oldest U.S. public health observance on record. For more than 100 years, Fire Prevention Week has worked to educate people the risk of home fires and ways to minimize them. Local fire departments, schools, and community organizations play a key role in bringing Fire Prevention Week to life in their communities each year and spreading basic but critical fire safety messages.

To learn more about Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme, “Smoke alarms: Make them work or you!” visit fpw.org. Additional Fire Prevention Week resources for children, caregivers, and educators can be found at sparky.org and sparkyschoolhouse.org.