A task force within the Kentucky State Fire Marshal’s Office is working on new fire prevention strategies. Fire fatalities across the Commonwealth have exceeded 60 for a number of years.
Kentucky Fire Marshal Bill Swope says work on the new program began this past summer. He says the hope is to pilot some aspects of it next spring.
“One that will take in all aspects of fire prevention to include inspection, it will include risk assessment. It will include public education and awareness,” said Swope.
Smoke detectors are viewed as the first line of defense in saving lives during residential fires. This weekend marks the annual reminder to change out batteries in smoke detectors. It comes as citizens adjust their clocks back one hour Saturday night (November 2).
“On average, I would think that smoke detectors last anywhere between five and seven years, some malfunction a lot sooner than that, some last longer than that. That’s a good practice just to change them out that way,” said Swope.
Swope says smoke detectors do wear out over time and smoke detectors should be placed on each floor of the residence, particularly outside bedrooms.