Don’t Wait: Check the Date!

Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years

October is National Fire Prevention Month where the focus is on your preparedness and precaution when it comes to house fires. In a recent survey conducted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), only a small percentage of individuals know how old their smoke detector is or how often they should replace it.

Here’s a startling statistic, according to the NFPA, 60% of all home fire deaths in the US are in homes with no or no working smoke alarms.

When it comes to smoke detectors, here is what the NFPA recommends:

• Check your smoke detector at the beginning of each month by pressing the test button. If the alarm does not go off, you need to replace the batteries. Be sure to retest it when you put fresh batteries into the alarm.
• Replace batteries twice a year, at the beginning and end of Daylight Savings Time (spring and fall).
• Completely replace your smoke detector after 10 years. Studies have shown the alarm goes bad after a decade of use. How do you know how old yours is? Remove the alarm from the wall or ceiling and look for the manufacturer’s date on the back of the alarm. If it is less than 10 years old, take a sharpie and write boldly on the face of the alarm the month and year it should be replaced.
• When purchasing new alarms, choose ones that are interconnected wirelessly throughout the house, so if one activates, they all do.
• Install alarms in every bedroom and on every level of the house including the basement. Avoid bathrooms and kitchens as steam will give you a false signal.

Other Tips to Prevent Home Fires

Here are three other suggestions to help keep you and your loved ones safe during this fire burning season:

1. Make certain you clean every fireplace and wood stove by a certified professional at the beginning of the season, which is right now. Creosote can build up in the chimney without you even knowing it and be a fire source, creating heat in your walls.
2. Keep all interior doors closed at all times. If a fire starts in one room, you can keep it marginalized by keeping doors closed.
3. If you smell smoke or your walls become hot, get everyone out of your home and call 9-1-1. Some fires can start within the interior of the walls because of faulty electrical wiring.

Premier Firewood Company™ is Your Source for Firewood

Premier Firewood Company™ is fully behind this month’s fire safety awareness efforts. We want our clients to enjoy a wonderful fire with kiln dried firewood and be safe at all times.  At Premier Firewood Company™, we take pride in our  products and services. Give us a call at 203.866.4252 to place an order or order online 24/7.