A local township is reminding residents of simple steps for Fire Prevention Month.
As temperatures begin to drop Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Department has some basic steps people can take to protect themselves and loved ones:
- Install smoke alarms on every level of a home, inside bedrooms, and outside sleeping areas on the ceiling or high on the wall
- Keep smoke alarms away from the kitchen, at least 10 feet from the stove, to reduce false alarms
- Use special alarms with strobe lights and bed shakers for people who are hard of hearing or deaf
- Test smoke alarms monthly
- Replace batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide every six months
- Replace smoke alarms that are 10 or more years old
The National Fire Protection Association recommends all of these steps. The NFP also says roughly three out of five deaths happen in homes without a working alarm.