National Fire Prevention Week is October 6-12, 2024 – OBX Today

National Fire Prevention Week—an annual campaign aimed at raising awareness about fire safety and educating the public on important and potentially life-saving fire prevention strategies—will be observed from Sunday, October 6, 2024 through Saturday, October 12, 2024, and this year’s theme is “Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work for You!”

Smoke alarms are one of the most critical tools for protecting your home, your family members and your pets from the devastating effects of fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association, having properly functioning smoke alarms reduces the risk of dying in a house fire by more than half. Many homes, however, lack the number of smoke alarms that are needed to protect the property and all of its occupants—or the smoke alarms that do exist aren’t functional due to missing or dead batteries or the age of the device.

To maximize safety and help reduce the risk of fire-related incidents and injuries occurring in your home, it’s essential to have an adequate number of alarms in your home and to maintain them regularly. Read on to learn more about the importance of having fully functional smoke alarms throughout your residence to ensure your safety this National Fire Prevention Week and beyond!

How to Ensure Your Smoke Alarms Work Properly

House fires can spread rapidly, leaving just minutes for you, your family and your pets to safely escape. In fact, according to the National Fire Protection Association, once your smoke alarm sounds, you may have less than 2 minutes to get outside to safety. Performing regular maintenance on your smoke alarms is key to ensuring these critical alert systems will work properly when you need them—and could potentially even save your life!

Test smoke alarms monthly.

Press the “test” button on your device at least once each month to make sure the smoke alarm is working correctly.

Change the batteries twice a year.

Swapping out the batteries in both the spring and the fall (when Daylight Saving Times occurs) is a simple way to remember that when you change your clocks, it’s also time to replace the batteries in your smoke alarms!

Replace your smoke alarms every 10 years.

If the smoke alarms in your home are 10 years old or older, replace them with new devices to ensure they will be working property and able to alert you in the event of an emergency.