Focus on Home Fire Safety During Fire Prevention Week

9-29-17

October 8-14 is Fire Prevention Week. The Sevierville Fire Department offers the following information to help keep you safe at home. For more fire safety information, visit the SFD web pages at www.seviervilletn.org. The SFD offers free comprehensive fire safety inspections of residences and businesses. Call 865-453-9276 for more information.

I dtine, comhaireamh soicind. Is féidir le soicindí a bheith i gceist leis an difríocht idir áitritheoirí ár bpobal ag éalú go sábháilte ó dhóiteán nó a saol a bheith críochnaithe i dtrágóid.

• Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.

• Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.

• Make sure the address/number of your home is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.

• Close doors behind you as you leave – this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.

• Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.

What You Need to Know About Home Smoke Alarms

• Why Are Smoke Alarms So Important? Simply put—smoke alarms save lives. Smoke spreads fast when there is a fire, and smoke alarms give you time to get out. Smoke alarms could reduce your risk of dying from a fire in your home by almost half.

• Are Smoke Alarms Expensive? No! There are tested and approved units on the market for $10-$15. Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms are considered to be one of the least expensive means of providing an early warning of a potentially deadly fire.

• Where Should I Install Smoke Alarms? Smoke alarms should be installed as follows:
- I ngach seomra codlata
- I ngach halla a dtiocfaidh seomra leapa
- On every level of the home (including the basement).
Places to avoid include: garages, kitchens, and bathrooms. Consult the manufacturer’s manual for detailed installation instructions. Most instructions recommend installing smoke alarms on the ceiling, or on the walls between 6 and 12 inches below the ceiling. Avoid installing alarms too close to heating ducts, air vents, and fluorescent lights.

• How Do I Maintain My Smoke Alarm? Smoke alarms can only work if they are properly located, installed, and maintained. Roughly two-thirds of home fire deaths happen in homes with either no smoke alarms or no smoke alarms that work.
- Aláraim a thástáil uair sa mhí ar a laghad tríd an gcnaipe tástála a bhrú.
- Tá aláraim deataigh le cadhnraí neamh-in-athsholáthair deartha chun oibriú ar feadh 10 mbliana. Má chirps an t-aláram, rabhadh go bhfuil an ceallraí íseal, cuir an t-aláram ar fad in ionad láithreach.
- Maidir le haláraim dheataigh le haon chineál ceallraí eile, cuir cadhnraí nua in ionad ar a laghad uair sa bhliain. Má chirps an t-aláram, cuir an ceallraí in ionad láithreach.
- Mura bhfreagraíonn aláram deataigh nuair a dhéantar tástáil air, ní mór é a athsholáthar.
- Gently vacuum the grill work of your alarm to remove dust, bugs, and other debris that may prevent the alarm from functioning properly.

• My Smoke Alarms Are Installed & Working, What Now? Make sure your family knows the sound of a smoke alarm and what it means. Talk to them about what to do in the event that the alarm goes off. People who wake up to the sound of a smoke alarm are often confused, especially children and the elderly. To avoid panic, make sure that you have rehearsed an exit plan.

If you can’t afford a smoke alarm the SFD will install them for free, while supplies last. Our smoke alarms are made available through local donations and the State of Tennessee Fire Marshal’s Office in an effort to reduce injury and death due to fire across the State.