Sedona AZ – Fire Prevention Week is October 3rd through 9th, 2010. Ron Puchi, owner of Village Ace Hardware in the Village of Oak Creek, has donated smoke detectors and batteries to support the Sedona Fire District (SFD) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in promoting this year’s  Fire Prevention Week theme of  “Smoke Alarms:  A Sound You Can Live With!”

Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 conflagration that killed more than 250 people and left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire began on October 8th but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.

While the Great Chicago Fire was the best-known blaze to start during this fiery two-day stretch, it wasn’t the biggest. That distinction goes to the Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest fire in American history. The fire, which also occurred on October 8th, 1871 roared through Northeast Wisconsin, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152 people, and scorching 1.2 million acres before it ended.

  “Smoke detectors need minimal care to make a difference in the event of a fire in your home.” says SFD Fire Marshal William Loesche, “Testing your smoke detector monthly, changing the battery and cleaning your smoke detector once a year ensures that it will be there for you when you need it.”

Smoke alarms can mean the difference between life and death in a fire. NFPA statistics show that working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire nearly in half. But they must be working properly to do so. The Association’s data shows that many homes have smoke alarms that are not working or maintained properly, usually because of missing, disconnected or dead batteries. Roughly two-thirds of all home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

Do not become a statistic! Follow these tips for making sure smoke alarms are maintained and working properly in your home:

• Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button and make sure everyone in your home knows their sound.
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  L to R: Pat McClintock, Fire Marshal William Loesche, Fire Chief Nazih Hazime, Ace Owner Ron Puchi

  Change the battery every year. If an alarm “chirps,” warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.

• Replace all smoke alarms, including alarms that use 10-year batteries and hard-wired alarms when they are 10 years old, or if they do not respond properly when tested.
• Never remove or disable a smoke alarm.

If you know of a family that does not have a working smoke detector, or if you need help with inspecting your smoke detector or changing the batteries, please call the Sedona Fire District at 928-282-6800.