Fire officials stress importance of checking smoke alarms
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A fire early Saturday morning is just one of several recently where there were no working smoke alarms.
Daylight saving time is often used as a time to remind people to check the smoke alarms in their home. This year it may be more important than ever after these recent fires.
“If we don’t get notified early that we have a fire in our home, our chances of surviving that fire are decreased immensely,” said Captain Michael Pruitt with the Wayne Township Fire Department.
On March 3, a fire on Terrace Avenue killed three people. According to the Indianapolis Fire Department, there were no working smoke alarms in that home.
Five days later there was another house fire. This one was on Keystone Avenue, and the people living there woke up just in time to make it out, but they lost several pets.
“They did say they had a smoke alarm in the home, but it was not functioning, and you know we do see that a lot,” said Pruitt.
It happens more often than you might think.
“Over half of the fatality fires that happen across the country, in the most part, we found that there was not a working smoke alarm inside that home,” said Pruitt.
Fire officials say this is a good time to check the batteries in your smoke alarm. If your alarm is more than 10 years old, it’s time to replace it.
Captain Pruitt said any alarm you buy is better than none, but combination photoelectric (which detects smoldering fires) and ionization (which detects flaming, quick spreading fire) alarms will give your family the best protection.