Westmont, Illinois
Date Issued: November 2, 2018
The Westmont Fire Department reminds residents to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors when you change your clocks back one hour this Sunday, Nov. 4 for daylight savings time.
“Most deaths occur in single or multi-family homes without working smoke detectors,” said Westmont Fire Chief David Weiss. “Some new batteries and 5 minutes could save you and your family.”
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that between 2009 and 2013, three in five home fire deaths occurred in homes that either did not have smoke alarms or the alarms did not work properly. The batteries were either missing or disconnected in about half the homes that did have smoke alarms when the fire broke out. A new Illinois law requires a ten-year smoke alarm be installed in all homes that do not have hardwired smoke detectors by the year 2022.
Westmont Fire Department is part of “Be Alarmed!”, a fire safety education and smoke alarm installation program administered cooperatively between the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA) and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM). This program provides smoke alarms to Illinois residents through their local fire departments and can aid with obtaining and installing these newly required alarms. Smoke alarms are required on every floor of the house and within 15 feet of every bedroom.
The Westmont Fire Department offers smoke detectors for Wesmont residents of single family home or townhomes who need them. For more information, please contact Chris Hardy at chardy@westmont.il.gov or 630-981-6424.
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Contact: Larry McIntyre
Village of Westmont
Communications Director/Public Information Officer
630-417-0280
lmcintyre@westmont.il.gov
