October 6-12 is Fire Prevention Week, and this year’s theme is “Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work For You.”
The experts at our Firefighters Burn Center are educating the public about how to install, maintain, and use smoke alarms to protect themselves and their loved ones.
It is important to make sure your home has a proper smoke alarm system, as house fires can result in serious and even fatal injuries.
Home fires can result in serious or even fatal injury, but there’s an inexpensive, easily accessible tool that can help prevent tragedy, experts say.
Smoke alarms are one of the best ways to protect yourself and your loved ones from injury. With Fire Prevention Week being recognized October 6-12, the team at our Firefighters Burn Center is reaching out with advice on how to stay safe.
“This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is ‘Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work For You,’” said Geretta Hollins, Community Outreach and Injury Prevention Program Coordinator for Burn/Trauma Services at Regional One Health. “This campaign shares the important message of having working smoke alarms in the home. Smoke alarms can help save lives during a fire if they are installed correctly, tested regularly, and maintained properly.”
Hollins said to start by taking a look around your home. If you do not have interconnected smoke alarms, purchase and install them. “An interconnected system will work as an interlinked system,” she said. “If one alarm goes off, the rest of the alarms will follow suit.”
Also make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors, Hollins said. Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors should be installed on every floor of your home.
Once you have a proper warning system, check it regularly to make sure it’s in working order.
Make sure your home has an interconnected smoke alarm system with alarms on every floor. In an interconnected system, when one alarm sounds, all alarms will sound.
“Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors at least once a month,” Hollins said. “If they don’t respond, replace them. It’s a good idea to regularly replace alarms every 10 years just to make sure your system is up-to-date and functioning properly.”
Hollins said the next important step is to develop a plan for what you’ll do if there is a fire.
First, plan your escape route and designate a spot outdoors where everyone in the household will meet. Practice your escape plan regularly so everyone knows what to do.
Next, make sure all inhabitants know what your alarm sounds like. “If your alarm goes off, you want everyone to immediately recognize that there could be a dangerous situation and to be able to follow your escape plan,” Hollins said.
If there is anyone in the home who needs help with the escape plan – such as young children, seniors, or people with disabilities – have a plan for how you’ll help them exit the home and get to the designated meeting place, Hollins added.
In the event of an actual fire, do your best to stay calm and implement the plan you practiced. Make sure to call 911 as soon as it is safe to do so.
“If everyone in the home is familiar with the plan and knows what to do, you’ll be better able to react appropriately in an emergency,” Hollins said. “If there is a fire, remember it is also critical to call 911 as quickly as possible so dispatchers can send first responders to help.”
Create and practice a family escape plan. If you do have a home fire, call 911 as soon as possible and follow your escape plan.
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Regional One Health’s Elvis Presley Trauma Center is the only Level-1 Trauma Center in a 150-mile radius of Memphis. A multispecialty team of experts is available 24/7 to treat the most critically injured patients from Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and parts of Missouri.
Our Firefighters Burn Center is the only full-service burn center in a 400-mile radius verified by the American Burn Association. It provides comprehensive services including emergency and critical care, intensive care, specialized burn rehabilitation, and laser and plastic surgery.