The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced “Don’t Wait: Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years” as the official theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, October 9-15, 2016. The focus on smoke alarm replacement comes as the result of a recent survey conducted by NFPA, which showed that only a small percentage of people know how old their smoke alarms are or how often they need to be replaced.

NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code®, requires smoke alarms be replaced at least every 10 years, but because the public is generally unaware of this requirement, many homes likely have smoke alarms past their expiration date, putting people at increased risk in the event of a home fire.

Smoke alarms play an essential role in home fire safety, but they have to be working properly in order to protect people. This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign represents the final year of a three-year effort by NFPA to better educate the public about the importance of smoke alarms, and what it takes to make sure they’re in working order.

According to an NFPA report, in one-fifth (20 percent) of all U.S. homes with smoke alarms, the smoke alarms aren’t working; three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without smoke alarms (38 percent) or with no working smoke alarms (21 percent).

People tend to assume that simply having smoke alarms in their home ensures adequate protection from fires, but it takes regular testing and maintenance to ensure that that’s the case. Part of that effort is making sure you know how old the smoke alarms in your home are, and that they’re replaced every 10 years. The age of a smoke alarm can be determined by looking for the date of manufacture on the back or side of the alarm, and to replace the units 10 years from that date.

NFPA has been the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years. For more information on this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Don’t Wait: Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years,” visit www.firepreventionweek.org.

Over the course of the next week Cutchogue Firefighters will be visiting the local schools to teach the children of the community about Fire Safety.