October is Fire Prevention Awareness Month

Staff Reports

Inland Empire – Riverside County Firefighters want all residents to install and inspect smoke alarms in every room.
“I urge you to have working smoke detectors on all levels of your home, and in all areas where people sleep” Riverside County Fire Department Chief John Hawkins said.
National Fire Prevention Month is a good time to make sure all homes have working smoke alarms, on every level, in every sleeping area, and in the hallways leading to the sleeping areas.
This year’s fire prevention theme is “hear the beep where you sleep, every bedroom needs a working smoke detector.”
“When fire strikes, every second counts,” Hawkins said. “Knowing how to react quickly and correctly can mean the difference between life and death.”
According to the latest National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) research, working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire in half. Meanwhile, three out of five fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
These alarms should be hard-wired with a battery backup in case of a power outage. In California, new smoke alarms have a 10 year long battery life.
Residents are encouraged to inspect all smoke alarms every month, clean them annually, and replace the entire smoke alarm every 10 years.
Roughly half of all home fire deaths happen between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep, according to fire officials.
If a smoke alarm sounds, crawl low and go outside to a predetermined meeting place. Fire officials recommend practicing the plan in a fire drill at least twice a year. Families should also have an escape plan with an assigned meeting place outside the home in case of a fire.
This Fire Prevention Month CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department is asking all residents in Riverside County to improve their own safety by having working smoke alarms in every bedroom and on every level of your home.