10-10-16 Fire Officials Kick Off Fire Prevention Week

Matlock said Fire Prevention Week actually lasts all month in Chattanooga. "Members of our Fire Prevention Bureau, with help from firefighters all over the city, will be teaching fire safety at dozens of schools and other locations throughout the month of October ," said Matlock, In addition to teaching fire safety in elementary schools, Matlock said many students in middle schools and high schools will be participating in a poster contest. The winners will receive gift cards from Walmart, and the overall winner will have his or her poster prominently displayed on a billboard for a month.

This year's theme for Fire Prevention Week is: "Don't Wait, Check the Date." Matlock said many people don't test their smoke alarms on a regular basis, and they may not know that their smoke alarms have an expiration date. "Smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 years," said Matlock. To find out how old a smoke alarm is, Matlock said to look at the manufacture date on the back of the alarm. "If it's 10 years old or older, it should be replaced," said Matlock.

Most home fire deaths happen when people are asleep, between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Matlock said it's essential that families protect themselves by having working smoke alarms in their homes and testing them monthly to make sure they work.