South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue, the Red Cross and Gibby Home Fire Prevention teamed up to install 62 smoke alarms in 29 units at the Highland Park Condominiums in Edmonds last weekend.

“This is an older building that is home to an older population. Our goal was to make sure these residents have updated smoke alarms to give them the early warning they need to escape in a fire,” said Assistant Fire Chief of Fire Prevention Kevin Zweber.

“During this installation event, we saw many of the same problems we see in the community at-large. This included smoke alarms that were outdated, missing batteries or inoperable,” he said. “We also found units that didn’t have enough smoke alarms and even a few units with no smoke alarms at all.”

South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue offers these recommendations for equipping your home with smoke alarms:

• Replace smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old. Aging smoke alarms are unreliable and often are the source of nuisance alarms.
• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom. They should also be outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. Install alarms in the basement. Large homes may need extra smoke alarms.
• Test all smoke alarms at least once a month. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working.
• A smoke alarm should be on the ceiling or high on a wall. Keep smoke alarms away from the kitchen to reduce false alarms. They should be at least 10 feet (3 meters) from the stove.
• People who are hard-of-hearing or deaf can use special alarms. These alarms have strobe lights and bed shakers.