Fire officials: Working smoke alarms save lives Published Oct. 3, 2014 By Tinker Fire and Emergency Services TINKER AIR FORCE BASE - Okla. -- Working smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a fire. That's the message behind this year's Fire Prevention Week campaign, "Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Test Yours Every Month!" Along with firefighters and safety advocates nationwide, Tinker Fire and Emergency Services is joining forces with the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 5-11, to remind local residents about the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home and testing them monthly. According to the latest NFPA research, working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire in half. Meanwhile, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. "In a fire, seconds count," said TFES Inspector Billy Newton. "Roughly half of home fire deaths result from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out." This year's Fire Prevention Week campaign includes the following smoke alarm messages: · Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. · Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. This way, when one sounds, they all do. · Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button. · Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don't respond properly. · Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it. The Tinker Fire Department will be hosting activities at all Child Development Centers, Tinker Elementary, Tinker Exchange and the Balfour Beatty Community Center, along with various evacuation drills around the base. Through these educational, family-oriented activities, residents can learn more about the importance of working smoke alarms and testing them monthly. To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities on Tinker, call the Tinker Fire Prevention office at 734-3981 or 734-3982. On-base housing residents can also contact Balfour Beatty at 610-3637 or visit www.tinkerfamilyhousing.com. To learn more about smoke alarms and "Working Smoke Alarms Saves Lives," visit NFPA's website at www.firepreventionweek.org. Fire Prevention Week Schedule of Events Oct. 6: · Ladder Truck, Fire Prevention Trailer, Sparky and Big Kev at Tinker Elementary, 9:30 to 11 a.m. · Inspectors at the Tinker Exchange to issue handouts, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 7: · Ladder Truck, Fire Prevention Trailer, Sparky and Big Kev at Tinker Elementary, 9:30 to 11 a.m. · Inspectors at BX to issue handouts, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. · Sparky and Engine 1 at Child Development Center West, 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. Oct. 8: · Sparky and Engine 4 at Child Development Center South, 9 to 10 a.m. · Fire Extinguisher and Commercial Cooking Training and Prevention Trailer at BX, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. · Inspectors at BX to issue handouts, 11 to 11:30 a.m. · Sparky at BX, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 9: · Sparky and Engine 3 at Child Development Center East, 9 to 10 a.m. · Fire Extinguisher and Commercial Cooking Training and Prevention Trailer at BX, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. · Inspectors at BX to issue handouts, 11:30 a.m. to noon. · Cookout at Balfour Beatty Community Center with Sparky/Big Kev, Ladder Truck, Engine 4, Medic 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 10: · Evacuation Drill Bldg. 1094, 8:30 to 9 a.m. · Evacuation Drill Bldg. 3334, 9 to 10 a.m. · Pick up posters from Tinker Elementary, 3 to 3:30 p.m. There will be a pre fire plan contest for the fourth and fifth grade classes and a coloring contest for the pre-K through third grade. · Nov. 7: Tinker Elementary Awards Assembly for Family Fire Evacuation Plan and Poster Contest.