CONNECTICUT, USA — Editor's note: Video above originally aired Aug. 10.
Is your house prepared in the event of a fire?
Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 3 - 9 and officials are reminding families this year about the "sounds of fire safety".
Fire officials often stress the need for homes to be equipped with fire alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. But how do you know if something is wrong, or if a battery just needs changing?
“Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Alarms have different sounds of alarm,” said Alan Zygmunt from the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, along with the Connecticut Fire Academy. “Everyone in your home must know what alarm is sounding and what it is telling you.”
So what are the alarms trying to tell you?
If the smoke alarms make a continuous alarm or a series of three long beeps, it's giving your family early warning so you can escape as your first action.
Carbon monoxide alarms will make a series of four beeps in rapid succession. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless so the alarm may be the only way to know that the gas is present in the home.
In both cases, leave your home or building immediately and call 911.
Make sure to check all the alarms in your house. Fire safety officials recommend testing alarms monthly which will show you the sounds that each alarm will make if it were to go off.
What about that annoying chirp noise they sometimes make? When it's beeping in short succession like that, every minute or so, the battery will need replacing. Change the battery immediately to ensure the alarm continues to work.
Make sure to check the date on your detectors. All smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have a date of manufacture printed on them. If the detector is over 10 years old, replace the entire alarm.
What if you're deaf or hard of hearing?
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says the devices include strobe lights that last to alert people when the smoke alarm sounds. Pillow or bed shakers destined to work with your smoke alarm can also be installed. Learn more here.
Connecticut fire officials often state that the presence of a fire alarm was able to alert a family, particularly during fires that happen overnight when the household is sleeping and helped prevent serious injuries or fatalities.
The NFPA has a printable tip sheet to make sure the alarms are working properly in your home.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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