Fire calls attention to smoke alarms
Last week, a family in Island Vista Estates had their lives saved after a dog alerted them to a fire in their home in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
The family was able to get out safely.
The dog was not so lucky.
It died, leaving behind three puppies.
The cause of the fire had not yet been determined as of press time. However, it did bring attention to a problem many of the older homes in North Fort Myers have; many of them lack working smoke alarms, if they have the devices at all.
The North Fort Myers Fire Department posted on Facebook that it was a “humbling reminder to check your smoke alarms.” The smoke alarms apparently did not sound.
Christi Kulwicki, NFMFD spokesperson, said it was an older manufactured home and couldn’t answer as to how many alarms there should be.
“We know if it weren’t for the dogs, this could have been a more serious situation. Smoke alarms are not just a problem in old homes, but in general,” Kulwicki said. “People remove their smoke alarms. They don’t understand how they work and why they’re such a necessity.”
Some of the problems?
The 9-volt battery goes dead and the alarm starts chirping. But the battery is not replaced.
Further, the manufacturers of the alarms say the devices have an expected lifespan of 10 years. But they are not routinely replaced.
“They can malfunction, and they don’t tell you how. As humans, we just assume they will work. But if they malfunction, they will chirp all the time,” Kulwicki said.
Kulwicki said when residents call to complain about their alarms going off, she urges them to look at when the alarms were made. If it was made in 2003, that’s probably the problem.
“When you replace it with a new alarm, you won’t have that problem. I tell them they can get an alarm at Wal-Mart for $4.44. That’s cheaper than a pack of cigarettes,” Kulwicki said.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in houses with working smoke alarms, and they should be replaced if they’re more than 10 years old.
Kulwicki said many alarms come with 10-year batteries in them. When the battery dies, you can throw the old one away and get a new one for about $16. These are good for older residents, so they don’t have to climb a ladder to replace the batteries.
Some homes don’t have alarms because they were built before codes changed. Current code requires alarms inside or outside bedrooms, or at least one on each level. They are meant to alert people when you’re sleeping.
Kulwicki said she wants to turn this negative into a positive, something that will help others. Hopefully, people will heed the warning.
“We urge people from the fire department to check their smoke alarms and put them back up,” Kulwicki said. “You wouldn’t believe all the schools I go to and kids tell me it’s sitting on the counter at home.”