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Give a
Life-Saving Gift This Holiday Season
Auburn, Dec. 7---This
year, give someone a life-saving Christmas gift -- a smoke detector.
Smoke detectors are inexpensive and can be purchased at most
department and hardware stores.
Smoke detectors save
lives by alarming occupants of a fire, says Dr. Tony Cook, a 4-H
program specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
"When a fire breaks
out in a house with a smoke detector, the smoke or heat quickly
activates the smoke detector and it responds with an ear-piercing
alarm. This alarm provides anyone in the house with precious minutes
needed to escape the fire, smoke and poisonous gases," Cook
says.
Most home fires start at
night, so smoke detectors are especially important during this time.
Smoke and poisonous gases can overcome and kill a sleeping person or
family before they are even aware of a fire.
Authorities recommend
that every home has at least one smoke detector that has been
approved by Underwriters Laboratories or another recognized testing
laboratory. One smoke detector needs to be on every level of a home
or apartment. If only one smoke detector is present, it should be
mounted on a ceiling or wall in the hallway toward the bedroom area
of the dwelling.
Check and change
batteries in smoke detectors often. A simple push of a test button
on the detector will tell you if it is working properly.
Source: Dr. Tony Cook,
4-H Program Specialist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334)
844-2233
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