Gilroy
– The Gilroy Fire Department is reminding residents to test
smoke alarms during Fire Prevention Week.
Smoke alarms are the most effective early warning device
available, fire officials say. Since they were introduced to
consumers in the 1970s, smoke alarms have helped to reduce the home
fire death rate by one-half.
Gilroy – The Gilroy Fire Department is reminding residents to test smoke alarms during Fire Prevention Week.
Smoke alarms are the most effective early warning device available, fire officials say. Since they were introduced to consumers in the 1970s, smoke alarms have helped to reduce the home fire death rate by one-half.
Even though they are now widely popular, roughly 70 percent of home fire deaths result from fires in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms, according to the GFD.
Gilroy residents should exit the home immediately when a smoke alarms sounds, because the time window to escape a burning home may be as brief as two minutes.
The fire department also urges residents to have a home fire escape plan that is familiar to everyone in the home and rehearsed regularly. With practice, the sound of smoke alarms will become familiar, and residents will know how to escape quickly.
Information on developing such an escape plan is available to residents on request, and will assist in identifying escape routes and choosing an outside meeting place after escaping the house.
Key smoke alarm installation and maintenance tips:
• Install at least one on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area
• Mount on the ceiling or high walls
• Test once a month, following manufacturer’s instructions
• Replace batteries once a year, or as soon as device “chirps” to indicate low batteries
• Replace after 10 years, even those that are hard-wired or “long life”
• A qualified electrician should install alarms that are hard-wired to the home’s electrical system
