SPRINGFIELD, Ill- Governor JB Pritzker has proclaimed October 6-12 as Fire Prevention Week in Illinois.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), working smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by more than half, 54 percent to be exact. Meanwhile, roughly three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Sadly in 2023 there were 89 residential fire deaths in Illinois with the majority of these deaths occurring in homes without working smoke alarms.
“It’s important that folks are pressing the test button on their smoke alarms monthly, checking to make sure their alarms are newer than 10-years-old, and replacing any broken or expired alarms,” said Illinois State Fire Marshal James A. Rivera. “The key to this year’s theme is, ‘WORKING smoke alarms save lives!’ Working smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a home fire, giving people the time to get out safely!”
The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) offers these key smoke alarm safety tips and guidelines:
- Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of the home.
- Make sure smoke alarms meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
- Test smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.
The OSFM and our partners at Camp I Am Me by Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (CIAM) have teamed up with fire departments through the Be Alarmed! Smoke Alarm installation program across the state to hold a smoke alarm blitz from October 20 to 26. The goal of this blitz is to get as many working smoke alarms into homes and educate as many families as possible on the importance of fire safety.
“The partnerships we have built between us, the OSFM and the 305 Illinois fire departments participating in this program and has led to more than 35,000 smoke alarms being distributed to protect Illinois residents.,” said Philip Zaleski Executive Director Camp I Am Me by Illinois Fire Safety Alliance. “Statistics don’t lie, and we see the need for working smoke alarms across the state and that is why programs such as Be Alarmed! are vital to helping make our communities a safer place to live.”
“Be Alarmed!” is a fire safety education and smoke alarm installation program administered cooperatively between Camp I Am Me (CIAM) and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM). The program distributes fire safety education materials and 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms to fire departments in the state of Illinois. The fire departments then deliver the education while installing smoke alarms in at-risk homes within their communities. Both the educational materials and smoke alarms are provided at no cost as a result of funding from both the CIAM and OSFM.
To learn more about the program visit: https://www.ifsa.org/prevention-resources/smoke-alarm/.
For more information about Fire Prevention Week and smoke alarms, visit fpw.org..