Benton County Fire District #4 Smoke Alarm Program Is on Fire!
Daylight Savings Time ends at 2:00 a.m. on November 7, 2021 and most fire districts spend a week around that time reminding people to change their smoke alarm batteries. Emergency personnel from Benton County Fire District 4 are going one step further: they’ll change them for you.
Residents of the fire district who are disabled, elderly, or low income are encouraged to contact the agency for help during regular business hours at (509) 967-2945. Personnel will assist in changing batteries or installing smoke detectors provided by the property owner. They also will help test carbon monoxide detectors.
“Fire deaths are preventable and working smoke alarms save lives,” said Fire Chief Paul Carlyle. “Every firefighter feels a gut punch when they respond to a fire and learn that someone died because there were no working smoke alarms.”
Benton County Fire District 4 recommends the following to help your home be fire safe:
- Test your smoke alarms twice a year by pushing the test button on each unit and replacing dead batteries. A good way to remember to do this is when Daylight Savings starts in the spring and ends in the fall.
- Make sure smoke alarms are installed on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside of sleeping areas.
- Practice an escape plan with members of your household. Everyone should be able to leave the home within two minutes of a smoke alarm sounding. After evacuating, never to go back inside for anyone or anything until firefighters give an all-clear signal.
The National Fire Protection Agency reports that seven people die each day in the United States from a home fire, and 36 more are injured. Over $7 billion in property damage occurs from fires each year, as well.
“The tragic part about any injury or death in a fire is that it might be prevented with working smoke alarms,” said Chief Carlyle.