Bryans Road Volunteer Fire Dept. & Rescue Squad, Inc. P. O. Box 111, BRYANS ROAD, MARYLAND 20616
NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release:
August 5, 2011
Contact: Chief Dave McCormick Mc Bryans Road Volunteer Fire Department 301-375-7055 7055 Fire Department
Firefighters to go Door to Door with Smoke Alarms. As a result of the tragic house fire on Arbor Lane, Thursday August 4, 2011, members of the Bryans Road Volunteer Fire Department will be going door to door this Saturday, August 6, 2011 to remind residents to check their smoke detectors. Beginning at approximately 10:00 a.m. in the section of the Strawberry Hills Sub Division where one child was killed, firefighters will assist citizens with changing their batteries and testing smoke aalarms. larms. Residents, whose homes are found to be without a smoke alarm, will have one installed by fire firefighters. Firefighters are taking this aggressive action based on the preliminary results of the investigation into Thursday’s tragic fire; where it is believed that there may have not been any operable smoke alarms in the home. County Volunteer Fire Chief Duane Svites stated that “early detection is key in all residential fires and that fires can burn unnoticed and spread quickly where smoke alarms are not present or functional.” The most common cause of non-working non smoke alarms are worn or missing batteries. In fact, the U.S. Fire Administration reports that 84% of fire deaths occur in homes where smoke alarms are not working due to worn or missing
batteries. Smoke alarms have a mechanical life span of 10 years; any smoke detector over 10 years old should be replaced. Many smoke alarms ten years of age or older have no battery back-up, any smoke alarm without a battery back-up should also be replaced. Smoke alarms that use a centralized battery, integrated into a security system, generally have a battery life expectancy of 3-5 years; check the manufacturer’s recommendations. County Volunteer Fire Chief Duane Svites has asked that “all County residents test their smoke alarms at least twice a year when you ‘change your clocks, change your batteries.’ Residents who cannot afford smoke alarms should contact their local fire departments for assistance.
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