pThe Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has officially proclaimed October 2015 as Fire Prevention Month in Loudoun County.ppAccording to data from the National Fire Protection Association NFPA approximately three of five or 60 of reported home fire deaths from 2007-2011 resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. In line with this years safety theme the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue System joins NFPA to remind residents to Hear the Beep Where you Sleep Every bedroom needs a working smoke alarm Firefighters and safety advocates will focus on the importance of having adequate numbers of functional smoke alarms in your home and testing smoke alarms monthly.pp Critical safety tips regarding smoke alarmsbrInstall smoke alarms in every bedroom outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home.brTest all smoke alarms at least once a month. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working. If an alarm chirps warning the battery is low replace the battery right away.brClean dust dirt and any debris that might have accumulated in small openings and screens covering the smoke alarms sensors. Never paint smoke alarms it clogs their sensors voids the warranty and could result in a false alarm or no response in an emergency.brReplace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if not working properly.ppSmoke alarms are a huge priority for our department says Chief Fire Marshal Linda Hale. The goal of our Put-A-Finger-On-It smoke alarm program is to ensure every resident of Loudoun County has adequate and functional smoke alarms in their home. By communicating the importance of smoke alarms and encouraging the public to attendnbspour fire prevention month events we hope to prevent residents from suffering a damaging lesson due to a fire in their home.ppIn 2014 Loudoun County Fire and Rescue personnel visited 15071 homes performed 350 home safety inspections and installed 410 smoke alarms for Loudoun County residents. Through the Put-A-Finger-On-It smoke alarm program residents can receive a free home fire safety inspection and are eligible to receive free smoke alarms installed at no cost. For information visit www.loudoun.govsmokealarms or call our hotline 703-737-8093.brppp
October is Fire Prevention Month in Loudoun County
