The Importance of Smoke Alarms

All Derby residents are encouraged to make sure that they have working smoke alarms in their home or apartment to provide early warning in case of a fire. It is recommended to have at least one on each level of the home. Smoke detectors older than 10 years should be replaced with new ones. If your home has smoke alarms that are not the type equipped with a 10 year lithium battery, then the batteries are recommended to be changed at least once a year.

An estimated 20 percent of homes in the U.S. do not have working smoke detectors. In nearly all of these homes the reason for smoke alarms not working properly is due to dead or missing batteries. Nearly 33 percent of residential fires and 40 percent of residential fire fatalities occur in homes with no smoke alarms.

Derby Fire & Rescue would be glad to help those who need assistance changing batteries in their smoke alarms. If assistance is needed with having the batteries in your detector changed, please call 788-3773 to schedule.

For more information on smoke alarms, visit the National Fire Prevention Association website.