Fire Department Open House to Focus on Smoke Alarms

2011 Open House. Photo courtesy of Manchester Township

The Manchester Township Fire Department, located at 275 South Macomb St., will be hosting an open house on Sunday, October 12 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm to promote “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives!” Through these educational, family-oriented activities, residents will be able to learn more about the importance of working smoke alarms and testing them monthly. There will also be equipment displays featuring the new rescue vehicles, a smoke house, and kids will be able to spray a working fire hose.

The open house comes at the end of the National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week which runs October 5-11.  Along with firefighters and safety advocates nationwide, the Manchester Township Fire Department will work to remind local residents about keeping their fire alarms working.

According to the latest NFPA research, working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire in half. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. In a fire, seconds count. Roughly half of home fire deaths result from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out.

This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign encourages Manchester to:

• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.
• Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. This way, when one sounds, they all do.
• Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.
• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don’t respond properly.
• Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it.

Remember… “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Test Yours Every Month!”

To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and to learn more about smoke alarms and “Working Smoke Alarms Saves Lives”, visit NFPA’s website. For more information about the open house, contact Fire Chief Mike Riesterer at 734-428-9439 or via email at manchesterchief1@sbcglobal.net.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.