Smoke alarms are loud, which is why they save lives should fire break out at home in the dead of night. During Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-12, Vancouver Island firefighters are doing its part to make sure more homes have smoke alarms that are noisy when they need to be.

Fire Prevention Week is an annual campaign by the National Fire Protection Association, which partners with participating local fire departments to educate members of the public about fire safety. 

This yearB次元官网网址檚 campaign focuses on education about the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home, especially when fires break out at night when families are sleeping. 

B次元官网网址淏asically, you have to make sure youB次元官网网址檝e installed a smoke alarm, test the smoke alarm and replace, as necessary, the smoke alarm,B次元官网网址� said Umesh Lal, Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire and loss prevention officer.

He said ideally, the fire department would like to see smoke alarms outside of every sleeping area in houses, but recognizes some families canB次元官网网址檛 afford to purchase that level of home protection, so he said the department hopes people have at least one smoke alarm on each floor.

Smoke alarms need to be tested regularly. Once each month is recommended for battery-operated units, which should also have their batteries changed every six months or according the manufacturerB次元官网网址檚 recommendation. Good times to remember when to test smoke alarms and change batteries are the first day of spring and first day of fall. Smoke alarms must also be swapped out for new ones every 10 years. Lal said modern smoke alarms are built to last 10 years and some come with a 10-year battery and donB次元官网网址檛 require battery changes for the life of the units. 

The most important thing, though, is to have, even basic smoke alarms working in homes. 

B次元官网网址淪moke alarms are like cars,B次元官网网址� Lal said. B次元官网网址淵ou can get them from the Pinto version to the Cadillac version. You can have your voice-activated, all sorts of stuff, but the bottom line is we want people to test them once a month, have one on each floor and replace as necessary.B次元官网网址� 

He said in Nanaimo and across the province, when firefighters attend structure fires, they still find in about 50 per cent of cases that homes donB次元官网网址檛 have working smoke alarms. Ideally, all premises should have working smoke alarms, whether residents rent or own.

B次元官网网址淪moke alarms drastically increase survivability,B次元官网网址� said Stu Kenning, Nanaimo Fire Rescue assistant chief.  

Nanaimo Fire Rescue does maintain a smoke alarm program, which involves firefighters going on door-to-door campaigns in more socio-economically challenged neighbourhoods to check with residents to make sure their homes have working smoke alarms. 

B次元官网网址淲e were pioneers in the smoke alarm program. ItB次元官网网址檚 now been adopted by the entire province,B次元官网网址� Kenning said. 

The program is now funded provincewide by the B.C. Office of the Fire Commissioner, which works with the Fire Chiefs Association of B.C. to implement the program. Households that cannot afford to purchase smoke alarms can apply to the program online by visiting the City of NanaimoB次元官网网址檚 city services page at www.nanaimo.ca/city-services.

While itB次元官网网址檚 important to have working smoke alarms, Lal said families also need to have an evacuation plan and practise it so they're ready should a fire break out. 

B次元官网网址淸It's] not the time, when youB次元官网网址檙e sleeping and half awake and the smoke alarm goes off, [to be] running around wondering what to do,B次元官网网址� Lal said. B次元官网网址淵ou have to have a plan before. Get out and stay out and have a plan.B次元官网网址�

Smoke alarms save lives, added Tim Doyle, Nanaimo Fire Rescue chief, said in a city press release.

B次元官网网址淲hen you hear a smoke alarm, you may have less than two minutes to get everyone outside and to safety," he said. "This is why it is so important to not only make sure your home is equipped with smoke alarms, but to make sure they are working."