Efforts Aimed at Improving Smoke Alarm Placement in the Home
Recognizing the need for improved education and awareness about home fire safety, the IAFC, with support from its Fire and Life Safety Section (FLSS), is partnering with Kidde to provide education and resources to fire departments and their communities about smoke-alarm placement in the home. Kidde is a leading manufacturer of residential fire-safety products and a business of UTC Fire & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX)
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), nearly two-thirds of home fire deaths in 2009 occurred in residences without working smoke alarms. While home fire fatalities and injuries have decreased by 56% in the past 30 years, more than 2,000 people still die in residential fires each year.
“It’s wonderful to have so much discussion surrounding home fire safety and smoke alarms, but there’s a lot of conflicting information out there,” said Chief Jack Parow, president and chairman of the board of the IAFC. “As fire service leaders, we are the ones who educate the public because they trust our counsel. If we want to make sure the public is adequately informed about their options in home fire safety, we need to first ensure the fire service is well-educated.”
Through this partnership, the IAFC and Kidde will provide an online toolkit for fire chiefs, fire officials and public fire educators, with materials to educate themselves and their communities about the different types of residential smoke alarms available in the market.
Also provided will be recommendations on where to place alarms based on different features, including power supplies, tamper resistance and how the alarms react to normal conditions in the home and the early stages of fire development. The toolkit will offer fact sheets and studies, discussion points and template educational materials.
“Kidde wants to ensure that every family is properly protected in the event of a residential fire,” said Chris Rovenstine, vice president of sales and marketing for Kidde. “By partnering with the IAFC, we can help educate fire officials who will then educate their communities.”
The toolkit will be available to fire officials this summer on the IAFC website.
About the International Association of Fire Chiefs
The IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. IAFC members are the world's leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for its members to exchange ideas, develop professionally and uncover the latest products and services available to first responders.
About Kidde
Kidde is the leading manufacturer of residential smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and fire extinguishers. The company has been delivering advanced fire safety technology for more than 90 years. You will find its safety products in home improvement retailers, mass merchants and distributors around the globe. Kidde is a business of UTC Fire & Security, a company that provides fire safety and security solutions to more than 1 million customers worldwide. Headquartered in Connecticut, UTC Fire & Security is a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), which provides high-technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries worldwide. More information can be found at UTCFireAndSecurity.com and Kidde.com.