Last smoke detectors of season installed
Firefighters from the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Department installed their last smoke alarm of the season at the home of Gary and Debbie Blank in Bokeelia. The MPIFCD strives to help keep islanders and their homes safe by installing complimentary smoke alarms for Pine Island and Matlacha residents 50 years and older.
“So far, with today’s installations, our total since beginning this project is over 730 free smoke detectors,” Fire Inspector Christi Roman said. “This has been a great program and I hope we can get the funding next year to continue.”
Last year the Division of State Fire Marshal Bureau of Fire Prevention was awarded a FEMA Fire Prevention and Safety grant to promote a comprehensive statewide fire safety campaign for the elderly population, 55 years and older. The goals of this campaign is to increase fire safety knowledge to the elderly through educational programs; reduce the injury rate, fatality rate and number of fires in the homes of the elderly; conduct fire safety inspections in their homes; and install smoke alarms in their homes when the alarms are inoperable or absent.
While the smoke alarms are being installed by the fire department the homeowner receives a “Smoke Alarm Packet” that includes installation guidelines. Then a general safety home inspection is completed and the results discussed with the homeowners warning them of slippery throw rugs, items on the floor and stairways (books, electrical cords, shoes etc).
“A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the first thing in a home that can alert residents to a fire,” Roman said. “They operate 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. According to the National Fire Protection Association, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in properties without working smoke alarms. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.”
Guidelines for proper installation of smoke alarms includes:
* Alarms should be installed at least 10 feet from a cooking appliance.
* Mount alarms high enough on walls or ceilings (remember, smoke rises). Wall mounted alarms should be installed not more than 12 inches away from the ceiling.
* If you have ceilings that are pitched, install the alarm within 3 feet of the peak but not within the apex of the peak (four inches down from the peak).
* Locate the first alarms in the immediate area of bedrooms.
* Locate additional alarms to monitor any stairway.
* Locate one alarm on every floor.
* Locate an alarm where electrical appliances are operated.
“I first heard about this program when my husband Gary and I went to the fire house to inquire about a hurricane pass,” homeowner Debbie Blank said. “Fire Inspector (Christie) Roman helped us with that and then mentioned the free smoke alarm installation program. I thought it would be foolish if we didn’t have them come out.”
Each year, approximately 1,100 Americans ages 65 and older die as a result of a home fire. Compared to the rest of the U.S. population:
* People between 65 and 74 are nearly twice as likely to die in a fire.
* People between 75 and 84 are nearly four times as likely to die in a fire.
* People ages 85 and older are more than five times as likely to die in a fire.
With a few simple steps, older people, and those who care for them, can dramatically reduce their risk of death and injury from fire.
“When we put in for the grant last year we didn’t know what to expect,” Deputy Chief Benjamin Mickuleit said. “But we’ve installed more than 730 smoke alarms and the program has been very successful. We will be applying for this grant again next year if it is available.”
“Some-times where the problem arises is that the guidelines aren’t being followed,” Roman, fire inspector, said. “For example, they recommend that people replace their smoke detectors with new ones every 10 years. Also, I had someone ask, ‘How do you make it stop chirping?’ These are things people need to know.”
“We just want the public to be educated about the hazards and how easily their homes can be made much more safe,” Mickuleit said. “It’s not the fire that kills people, it’s the smoke and that’s what the smoke detector is for.”