Garden City, NY - September 24, 2015 - Every bedroom needs a working smoke alarm. The Nassau County Firefighters Museum is helping spread the message, “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep: Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm” - the theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, October 4-10, 2015. The national fire alarm code requires a smoke alarm in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.
According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) statistics, half of all U.S. home fire deaths occur at night between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., when people are most likely to be sleeping. Having a working smoke alarm in the home cuts in half the risk of dying in a fire. These facts underscore the extreme importance of having working smoke alarms in all bedrooms.
“Because fires frequently happen when people are asleep, having working smoke alarms in every bedroom is a critical part of home fire safety,” said Chief John V. Murray, Chief Instructor for the Nassau County Firefighters Museum & Education Center, who notes that three out of every five U.S. home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. “Smoke alarms can make the difference between life and death in a fire by alerting people in enough time to escape safely, but first they need to be installed in all the required locations, including all bedrooms, and second, they need to be working! Fire Prevention Week presents the perfect opportunity to better educate the public about this potentially life-saving message,” said Murray.
The Nassau County Firefighters Museum & Education Center, along with firefighters and safety advocates nationwide, are joining forces during 2015 Fire Prevention Week, October 4- 10, to remind Long Island residents to take the following precautions:
- Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.
- Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. This way, when one sounds, they all do.
- Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old - or sooner if they don’t respond properly.
- Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it.
About Fire Prevention Week
NFPA has been the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week since 1922. Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.
About the Francis X. Pendl Nassau County Firefighters Museum & Education Center
The nearly 10,000 square-foot teaching facility features hands-on displays, historical fire equipment and live demonstrations on fire prevention and fire safety techniques. Since opening in June of 2006, more than 100,000 visitors of all ages have been taken step-by-step through a working fire, from alarm activation and emergency call to the “knocking down” of flames at the scene. Exhibits also trace the evolution of fire service equipment, gear and apparatus. The Nassau County Firefighters Museum & Education Center makes learning fire safety - fun! www.ncfiremuseum.org/