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Show Fire Prevention Week scheduled Oct 945 you test it. The Bountiful City Fire Department recommends you test your smoke detector according to the manufacturer's directions, or at least once a week for battery operated detectors, and once a month for AC-powered smoke detectors. de-tectors. Try to "key" your test with another regular activity. Don't disconnect your smoke detector if it activates and you think it's just a "nuisance" alarm, such as a reaction to your cooking activity. If you get a nuisance alarm, fan the air away from your smoke detector and try to redirect the air that caused the alarm. (For example, use your stove fan to vent cooking smoke or your bathroom ceiling fan to vent steam from a shower.) Smoke detectors are most beneficial be-neficial when accompanied by a home fire escape plan. The early warning the smoke detector gives in a fire won't help unless you know how to escape your home. Draw an escape plan for all members mem-bers of your family and practice escaping by conducting fire drills. Know two ways out, and plan a meeting place away from your home to gather once everyone has escaped. Be sure all family members know to dial 911 for all emergencies emergen-cies (police, fire, medical). The Bountiful City Fire Department Depart-ment has planned special events for the whole community during Fire Prevention Week. For more information, please contact the fire department, 298-6130. Quick! Answer these questions: ques-tions: 1. Do you know when you last changed the batteries in your battery-operated smoke detectors? 2. Do you test your smoke detectors detec-tors regularly, according to the manufacturer's instructions? 3. Without looking, do you know the location and number of smoke detectors in your home? 4. Do you recognize the sound your smoke detector makes? Can you hear it even with doors closed? 5. Are smoke detectors located outside all the sleeping areas in your home, and on every story of your home or apartment? If you answered "yes" to all these questions, congratulations! You're taking some important steps to keep your home and family fire safe. If you answered "no" to one or more of these questions, you have some work to do on home fire safety. Your Bountiful City Fire Department can help during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 9-15. The majority of fatal fires occur at night when people are asleep. But loss of lives and homes from more we can reduce the tragedy fire causes each year across the United States." There were 323 fire calls in Bountiful City during 1987, resulting result-ing in $166,739 in property loss. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported. re-ported. To assist home owners in the purchase of the smoke detector, Bountiful City Fire Department is offering the home inspection-smoke inspection-smoke detector program. This program entitles the home owner to purchase a detector at a greatly discounted rate after a life-fire safety survey has been conducted in the home. This survey is to determine potential hazards in the home, point out good smoke detector locations, and answer any questions ques-tions the home owner might have. Upon completion of this home inspection, in-spection, a coupon is given to the home owner to redeem at a local hardware store for over 50 percent savings on a smoke detector. Here are some simple steps you can take to make sure your smoke detectors protect you all through keep a smoke detector ready to protect you. Change the batteries in your smoke detector regularly. Look to see if the detector's "ready" light is on. If it isn't, it may be time to change the batteries. batter-ies. If your detector's low battery signal activates, replace the batteries batter-ies immediately. Follow the manufacturer's recommended re-commended maintenance procedures. proce-dures. Smoke detectors should not be painted. Look for signs of cobwebs, cob-webs, dust, or dirt on your detector these can keep the detector from operating properly. Vacuum the detector if the manufacturer recommends re-commends it. Listen to the sound of your detector de-tector when you test it. Can you hear the sound clearly. If the detector detec-tor is outside your bedroom, it should be clearly audible with the door closed. If it is not, try changing chang-ing the batteries. Old, weak batteries batter-ies can mean a weak signal. Use only batteries recommended by the manufacturer. Test your smoke detector and: test it regularly. You won't know if your detector is working unless "Fire Prevention Week is the perfect time for people to remember that a smoke detector has to be ready to protect you." fire can be prevented. Fire Prevention Preven-tion Week activities will help. For , many years,' Bountiful City Fire Department has sponsored an open house during Fire Prevention Week, which traditionally com,-memorates com,-memorates the Great Chicago Fire of Oct. 9, 1871. This open house is held to draw the public's attention to the devastating effects of fire, and to the continued importance of fire prevention. "Fire Prevention Week is the perfect time for people to remember remem-ber that a smoke detector has to be ready to protect you," said one fire department smokesperson. "The good fire safety habits you learn during Fire Prevention Week can be followed all year round. If you understand that the time to test and maintain a smoke detector is before be-fore a fire starts, you can keep your smoke detector fire ready." Statistics show that three-fourths three-fourths of all American homes already have at least one smoke detector, but the National Fire Protection Pro-tection Association (NFPA) estimates esti-mates that one-third of these are not working, often because of a dead or missing battery. NFPA predicts that if the trend continues, up to one-half of all smoke detectors detec-tors in U.S. homes within ten years ' won't be operational. "The more we can do to make our homes more fire safe," said fire department spokesperson, "the the year: If you haven't already, purchase smoke detectors for your home. Most smoke detectors cost between be-tween $10 and $30 each and are a wise investment for home fire safety. safe-ty. Be sure the detector has a label from a respected testing laboratory. labora-tory. Read the instructions carefully careful-ly and follow the manufacturer's directions for installation and maintenance. Have the correct number of smoke detectors to protect your entire home. According to Bountiful Bounti-ful City Fire Department, entire home protection would include at least one smoke detector outside each separate sleeping area and on each additional story of your living unit, including the basement. If you sleep with your bedroom door closed, make sure smoke detectors are placed where they can be heard, or consider installing one inside in-side the bedroom itself, as this is where many fires start. Locate and install your smoke detectors properly. Don't put a detector de-tector near an airflow area such as a heat register or air conditioner that could prevent your detector from sensing smoke from a fire. Manufacturers and NFPA have recommendations re-commendations for correct placement place-ment on ceiling and walls for your smoke detectors. Next maintenance and testing are the most important steps to |