What’s Bedford Thinking: Do you test your smoke alarms?

October is National Fire Prevention Month – and this week (Oct. 8 – 14) has been Fire Prevention Safety Week.

The Bedford Fire Department is celebrating with an open house from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14. The Bedford firefighters will be there to talk with residents. Activities include a truck wash (bring your own bucket and sponge!), pumpkin decorating, car seat safety inspections, and pizza. The event is free and open to the public. 

Aside from stop, drop and rolling, crawling in a smoky room, and feeling doorways, instructions one may remember from elementary school safety presentations, what sort of awareness is important this month?

The National Fire Protection Association (nfpa.org) has tips, facts, and information on fire and burn safety and prevention. Some may still seem “obvious” from those elementary school presentations or TV PSAs. Don’t let kids play with matches. Keep an eye on food while cooking and don’t cook while intoxicated. Only use a propane grill outside and at least a few feet away from a building. Have a household escape plan for an emergency, including an outside meeting place at a safe distance from the home. And many tips on smoke alarms.

There are tips on the NFPA website for using smoke alarms correctly. NFPA recommends a smoke alarm in every bedroom, as well as outside of every sleeping area in a home and on every level, including the basement, because “roughly three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.” 

And then there is the tip to test smoke alarms every month.

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