Fire company launches Smoke Alarm Inspection Program for Surf City, North Beach residents

To help prevent fire-related injuries and deaths due to nonworking smoke alarms, members of the Surf City Volunteer Fire Co. and EMS are conducting free smoke alarm checks for Surf City and North Beach residents. The launch of the department’s Smoke Alarm Inspection Program coincides with Fire Prevention Month.

Department volunteers will check alarms to make sure they function properly and will also replace batteries if necessary. New alarms will be installed if the home is not equipped with them. Some new alarms on the market that have a sealed battery with a 10-year life span are available to residents. Specialty alarms for the hearing impaired are

Photo via SCVFC
Surf City firefighters and EMS members
work to put out a home fire. 

available as well.

“By letting our volunteers test or install these smoke alarms inside your home, you will increase the chances of survival by early detection in the event the unthinkable happens,” said Michael Wolfschmidt, assistant chief of the fire company.

Although hard-wired smoke detectors can be checked, they cannot be serviced or replaced by department members. Members recommend residents contact a licensed electrician or fire alarm contractor to have detectors that are over 10 years old, or are not working, serviced or replaced.

“There are several different manufacturers of smoke detectors, and it would be very difficult to replace a homeowner's detectors with an exact match,” Wolfschmidt said. “We can, however, replace the back-up batteries inside them.”

There is a difference between smoke alarms and smoke detectors, Wolfschmidt noted. Smoke alarms are battery-operated and are not interconnected to other alarms. Smoke detectors are hard-wired to a power source and are usually interconnected. Smoke detectors in homes typically have a back-up battery installed as well, he said.

Batteries in both smoke alarms and smoke detectors should be replaced twice a year. For an easy reminder of when to change them, Wolfschmidt suggests using the daylight savings time schedule.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, nearly 3,000 people in the United States are killed every year due to fires. Compared to other age groups, older adults are more likely to be killed by a home fire. Three out of five home fire deaths are the result of fires in which smoke alarms are not present or malfunction.

Members of the Surf City Fire Company recommend having smoke detectors or alarms on every level of the home, including the basement. One should be located in the hallway outside the bedrooms as well as inside each bedroom.

Homes with fuel-burning appliances, such as natural gas, and/or an attached garage should also have carbon monoxide detectors installed within 10 feet of a bedroom, Wolfschmidt said. Due to cost, the fire company does not have the resources available to provide carbon monoxide detectors with the Smoke Alarm Inspection Program.

The program will be available as long as supplies, which have been donated by the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, are available. Residents and business owners are also welcome to donate.

To schedule a smoke alarm check or installation, contact Wolfschmidt at 609-494-6127 or wolfschmidts@gmail.com. Residents can also fill out a form at the Surf City firehouse.

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.