Smoke alarm education part of Fire Prevention Week in Merced County
Merced County Fire Department is reminding residents that every bedroom needs a smoke alarm during Fire Prevention Week from Oct. 4-10.
“Hear the beep where you sleep” is the message behind this year’s campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the importance of smoke alarms.
Half of home fire deaths result from fires between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., said Chief Nancy Koerperich of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Merced County. Three out of five fire deaths in the United States resulted from fires in homes with no working smoke alarms or no smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire in half, the chief said.
Residents in the unincorporated parts of the county may be eligible to receive free smoke alarms from Merced County Fire Department. For more information, contact your local fire station.
Merced County fire departments also will be hosting presentations at local schools throughout Fire Prevention Week to educate students on smoke alarms.
For more information about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities in Merced County, contact the Merced County Fire Department at 209-385-7347 and choose option 3.
During Fire Prevention Week, Merced County Fire Department is giving the following tips about smoke alarms:
- Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.
- Interconnect all smoke alarms so when one sounds, they all do.
- Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.
- Replace smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don’t work properly.
- Make sure everyone in the home is familiar with the sound of the smoke alarm and knows what to do when it goes off.
- If they smoke alarm sounds, go outside and stay there. Call the fire department from outside the home.
This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Smoke alarm education part of Fire Prevention Week in Merced County."