National Fire Prevention Week – Washington, DC

This October 5th-11th marks the 93rd year the National Fire Prevention Association holds their Fire Prevention Campaign. The campaign was first launched in 1922 after President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire (October 8th, 1871).

This year the theme is “Working smoke alarms save lives, test yours every month!” As part of the theme the NFPA has released some tips for installing, checking, and maintaining smoke alarms.

Below are some smoke alarm tips from the NFPA:

• Install smoke alarms inside and outside each bedroom. chimney fire safety in Washington DC
• Install smoke alarms on every level of the home and in the basement.
• Large homes may need extra smoke alarms.
• It is best to use interconnected smoke alarms so that when one alarm sounds they all sound.
• Test all smoke alarms at least once a month.
• There are two kinds of alarms. Ionization smoke alarms are quicker to warn about flaming fires. Photoelectric alarms are quicker to warn about smoldering fires. The fire department recommends using both types of alarms in the home.
• A smoke alarm should be on the ceiling or high on a wall. Keep smoke alarms away from the kitchen to reduce false alarms. They should be at least 10 feet from the stove.
• People who are hard-of-hearing or deaf can use special alarms. These alarms have strobe lights and bed shakers.
• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.
At High’s Chimney we take fire safety very seriously because we understand the inspection and repairs we perform for our clients effect the safety of their family. To help spread awareness of the dangers chimneys and fireplaces pose we have taken data gathered by the NFSA and CSIA and estimated both the number and damage in dollars caused by residential fires in 2014.

For more information about statistics used in this document see the resources at the end of this page.

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Resources:
About Fire Prevention Week