Fire Deaths Spur National Awareness Campaign by American Homeowners Association
For American Homeowners Association (AHA) president and founder Richard J. Roll, Bridgeport's latest fire fatality is much more than a statistic. It is family.
The March 29 fire killed AHA employee Ramona Holliday, along with her father and 2-year-old daughter. The lack of working smoke alarms was blamed in connection with their deaths.
As a memorial to Holliday and to prevent similar tragedies, the AHA initiated a year-long, national home smoke alarm safety campaign during a news conference at Bridgeport City Hall today. "The Ramona Holliday National Smoke Alarm Safety Campaign" includes giving away $5 million worth of smoke alarms and a smoke alarm reminder service that will alert consumers when it's time to check their smoke alarms and change the batteries.
"Ramona and her family are just three of the nearly 4,000 individuals who die each year in home fires -- deaths that might be prevented with increased awareness of basic, yet critical, smoke alarm facts," said Roll. "We designed this initiative to prevent needless tragedies by spreading vital smoke alarm- related information and reaching everyone who thinks 'it can't happen to me.'"
The Mayor of Bridgeport, John Michael Fabrizi, joined Roll during the news conference. The press conference also featured an open Q&A session with Bridgeport Deputy Fire Chief Tom Connor and Fire Chief Brian Rooney, and John Drengenberg, manager of Consumer Affairs for Underwriters Laboratories, a not- for-profit product safety certification organization. The panel addressed some of today's most pressing smoke alarm-related issues, including the:
-- Decreased escape time in fires;
-- Urgency to ensure working smoke alarms;
-- Best smoke alarm-related practices by landlords;
-- Goal of the U.S. fire community to eliminate fire deaths by 2020; and
-- Common mistakes that lead to fire-related fatalities.
"Since smoke alarms were introduced, fire deaths have been cut in half," said Drengenberg. "By providing an early warning in the event of a fire combined with practicing a well-developed home fire escape plan, smoke alarms allow you and your family sufficient time to reach safety."
Roll said the AHA is offering the free reminder service by e-mail to every homeowner, landlord and renter in America to remind them when to check their smoke alarms and when to change the batteries. The service is free and available for sign up at http://www.ahahome.com/remindme .
To obtain a free UL-Listed, Kidde smoke alarm ($20 retail value), consumers should visit http://www.ahahome.com/saveme . In addition to the smoke alarm, participants will receive a trial membership in the AHA to use without obligation for 60 days. A small $1.95 processing fee applies to help defray the cost of shipping and handling. It is not necessary to be a homeowner, and all renters and landlords are invited to obtain the free smoke alarm through this program.
"This isn't just a Bridgeport problem. Home fires are taking the lives of individuals from California to New York," said Roll. "Our goal is to make people aware that a working smoke alarm is a matter of life or death and provide them with tools that can help them avert such tragedies."
Additional Information:
"Smoke Alarms Invaluable As Home Fires Burn Hotter, Faster"
http://www.ul.com/media/newsrel/nr100305.html
"Family Fire Escape Plans Require Practice To Be Perfect"
http://www.ul.com/media/newsrel/nr091604.html
TOP 10 SMOKE ALARM TIPS
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, having a working smoke alarm reduces one's chance of dying in a fire by nearly 50 percent because it provides individuals with an early warning and gives them additional time to escape.
Underwriters Laboratories, a not-for-profit product safety certification organization that has been testing products for more than 110 years, offers these Top 10 Tips for purchasing, maintaining and installing smoke alarms:
1. You may need several smoke alarms to adequately protect your family --
install at least one on every level of your home, including the
basement and outside each sleeping area;
2. If you or family members sleep with the bedroom door closed, install
smoke alarms inside the bedroom;
3. Some individuals, particularly children, older people, and those with
special needs, may not wake up to the sound of a smoke alarm. You
should be aware of this when developing a home fire escape plan;
4. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing smoke alarms;
5. Install smoke alarms far enough away from ordinary cooking smoke to
avoid false alarms, a common and dangerous reason for disarming smoke
alarms;
6. Don't disconnect a smoke alarm or "borrow" the batteries;
7. Test smoke alarms at least once a month;
8. Replace batteries in all smoke alarms twice a year;
9. Replace the smoke alarm every 10 years, or as the manufacturer
recommends; and
10. When you purchase a smoke alarm, look for the UL Mark. The symbol
indicates representative samples of the alarm have met UL's stringent
safety standards.