Deadly fire in Maryland provides important reminder of working smoke alarms in homes
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A deadly house fire in St. Mary's County where two children were killed and four other family members were injured is bringing more attention to fire safety and smoke alarms.
Nearby in Prince George's County, it has been a deadly year for fires. So far in 2018, Prince George's County has had six fire deaths in homes or areas of a home that were not protected by working smoke alarms - one more than all of last year.
Fire departments in Maryland are reminding resident that there is a new state law aimed at preventing fires in homes from happening. Starting on Jan. 1, a new smoke detector law went into effect in Maryland that required residents with old 9-volt battery-powered smoke alarm detectors to replace them with new tamper-proof devices with a 10-year lifespan on every level of their home.
Fire officials recommend people have a working smoke alarm inside each bedroom of their home and to sleep with the door closed to provide more time to escape before toxic smoke creeps in during a potential fire.
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The home that caught fire in St. Mary's County did not have working smoke alarms, officials said.
"Statistically, we know working smoke alarms save lives," said Prince George's County Fire and EMS spokesperson Mark Brady. "It improves the chances of you surviving the fire by about 50 percent. You combine that with a home escape plan that's been already planned and practiced, it increases those chances surviving a home fire even more. So many times, about three out of every five fire fatalities we see at current homes have no working smoke alarms."
The new smoke alarm detectors cost around $35, but they last 10 years and you do not have to keep buying and replacing 9-volt batteries like the old ones. Every home improvement store in Maryland should carry these new tamper-proof devices.
In Prince George's County, you can even call 311 and firefighters will come out and install a smoke alarm for free.