This week is National Fire Prevention Week, and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System’s (KCTCS) Kentucky Fire Commission encourages everyone to identify fire risks around their homes and make sure smoke detectors are working.
This year’s theme is “Don’t Wait – Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years.”
The National Fire Protection Association has data showing the public has many misconceptions about smoke alarms, which may put them at increased risk in the event of a home fire. For example, only a small percentage of people know how old their smoke alarms are, or how often they need to be replaced.
“It is so important to maintain your home smoke detectors,” said Kentucky Fire Commission Executive Director Ronnie Day. “Whether it begins in the kitchen or elsewhere, having a working smoke detector in your home can save your life.”
The Kentucky Fire Commission offers these tips:
· Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
· Make sure you know how old all the smoke alarms are in your home.
· To find out how old a smoke alarm is, look at the date of manufacture on the back of the alarm; the alarm should be replaced 10 years from that date.
Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire. The fire began on October 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.
In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922 Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. According to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.
About The Kentucky Fire Commission
Since 1972 the mission of the Kentucky Fire Commission and the State Fire Rescue Training agencies has been to train and certify volunteer and career firefighters of Kentucky. In 1997 the Postsecondary Education Improvement Act was mandated bringing about the approval of an associate in applied science (AAS) degree in fire/rescue science technology. At that time the Kentucky Fire Commission was established within the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Since then, the Kentucky Fire Commission has trained 89 percent of Kentucky-trained firefighters.
(story provided by KCTCS)