Fire Prevention Week October 3 – 9, 2010
Fire Prevention Week commemorates the Great Chicago Fire – the two day blaze that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 more homeless and destroyed more than 17,000 buildings on October 8 and 9, 1871.
That tragedy inspired reform across America, spurring new fire safety codes and public awareness campaigns. Each year the National Fire 
Protection Association (NFPA) sponsors a prevention campaign to stress the importance of fire safety education and prevention. This year’s theme is smoke alarms and the difference they can make in saving lives during home fires. Following are some general smoke alarm guidelines every home should follow:
- The minimum recommendation is that a smoke alarm should be located on each level of a home, in addition to one in the hallway by sleeping areas plus in each bedroom.
- Smoke alarms should be tested monthly simply by pushing on the test button and holding it down for a few seconds.
- If an alarm is “chirping” versus “beeping”, it means that the batteries are low and need to be changed. DO NOT wait for the chirp—batteries should be changed AT LEAST once a year in all smoke alarms. A good time to remember to do this is when you change your clocks for day light savings time; you should also change your batteries.
- Alarms should be replaced every 10 years for maximum protection.
- There are specialized smoke alarms for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing.
For more details on smoke alarms or fire prevention, you can go to www.nfpa.com or for child fire safety have them go to www.sparky.org
For a free home fire safety inspection in Rochester Hills, you can call 248-841-2705 to make an appointment.
This Sunday, October 10, 2010 the Rochester Hills Fire Department will have open houses and displays out for the children at the following locations:
About Tom and Ann Gendich