Last year, nearly 3,000 people died in house fires nationwide, and in two thirds of those homes, smoke detectors were not present or just not working. As part of Fire Prevention Week, Midway Fire Rescue is hoping to bring awareness of the importance of smoke detectors in a unique way. They are using pizza delivery as a way to educate homeowners of the importance of having smoke detectors.
Midway Fire Rescue firefighters have teamed up with a local pizza restaurant and are going along on pizza deliveries. While at the homes, they check to see if there are smoke detectors in the home and if they're working. If they are, the pizza is free.
Robert Ford was surprised to see the fire department arrive at his home with his pizza. Ford allowed them in, and he passed the test. "A lot of people go and leave their alarms unchecked. They need to keep them up to date, keep them working, and I think it's a good program."
So far this year in South Carolina, nearly 50 people have died in home fires. In at least a dozen of them, smoke detectors were not inside the home. "In most fire deaths, it can be attributed to smoke alarms not working properly, either the batteries have been removed, they haven't been changed, or smoke alarms just aren't there," says Fire Marshal Todd Blumdahl.
Since Ford was up to date with fire prevention equipment his pizza was free. The approach may be out of the ordinary, but the seriousness of having working smoke detectors is not. Experts say it can be the difference between life and death - cutting your chances of dying in half. Fire sprinkler systems add another form of defense against fire.
"If they can, install residential fire sprinkler systems, because combined with smoke alarms, residential fire sprinklers, that education, that early suppression, early warning is the best way to survive a fire," says Blumdahl.
Those sprinkler systems can also save you money by lowering your home insurance. You can get tax breaks to offset the cost of installing them. Experts say you should check your smoke detectors twice a month, change the batteries twice a year, and if an alarm chirps warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.
