The Spalding County Fire Department wants to remind the citizens of Fire Prevention Week during the week of October 4-10, 2015. This year’s theme is “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep”.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) states that the purpose of the 2015 campaign theme is to encourage the installation of smoke alarms inside of every bedroom, outside of each sleeping area and on every level of your home. It is also to remind everyone that smoke detectors should be checked on a monthly basis and to replace smoke detectors that are over 10 years old.

The NFPA reports that roughly half of home fire deaths result from fires that occur between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Statistics also indicate that three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no working smoke detectors. The notification that smoke alarms offer is essential to survival smoke spreads fast, and a working smoke alarm will give you and your family the time needed to escape from the home in the event of a fire. The NFPA states, “Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a fire in half”.

For more information, you can visit the NFPA’s Smoke Alarm Central tab at www.nfpa.org or www.firepreventionweek.org or contact the Spalding County Fire Department at 770-228-2129.