“Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” is the theme of Fire Prevention Week, which runs Oct. 6-12, 2024, says the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of houses including the basement. There should be a smoke alarm in each bedroom and outside of all sleeping areas, says the NFPA.
Smoke alarms should be tested once a month by pushing and holding the test button until a loud “beep-beep-beep” is heard, says NFPA.
If there is no sound, the battery should be replaced, or the problem corrected.
Also, some smoke alarms will “chirp” intermittently if the battery gets weak. This is the signal to replace the battery.
Smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years.
History
Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in America.
Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of Oct. 9 in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on Oct. 8, 1871, says NFPA. The blaze took more than 250 lives, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.
