Energizer, the International Association of Fire Chiefs and local fire departments across the country are reminding families that 38 percent of fatal fire injuries occur in homes without working smoke alarms, while 24 percent occur in homes in which at least one smoke alarm is present but fails to operate.
"Each year, thousands of lives are forever changed due to the devastating effects of a home fire," said Chief Al H. Gillespie, president and chairman of the board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. "A working smoke alarm is an important defense for surviving a home fire. That’s why public information and education efforts being undertaken by fire departments with the support of Energizer is a vital component to keeping communities across the nation safe and sound."
A focus of this year's campaign is asking parents to take a vital step to keep their kids safe at home by changing the batteries in detectors. In many communities, fire departments distribute free batteries – and even free smoke detectors – to residents. Over the past 23 years, Energizer has donated more than 4 million batteries to local fire departments.
"For 23 years, Energizer, the IAFC and more than 6,200 fire departments have partnered to educate communities on the importance of home fire safety and having working smoke alarms," said Michelle Atkinson, vice president of marketing for Energizer North America. "By having parents and families actively pledge to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, we are hoping they will share the information with their network of friends and hopefully help other families do this simple and life-saving task."