Baton Rouge Attorney Frank Tomeny Explains Fire Safety
Don’t Get Caught Ablaze
Smoke alarms have saved thousands of lives in the United States. 90% of homes today have at least one smoke alarm. However, according to a public health survey, nearly 25% to 30% of the smoke alarms in homes were not properly functioning. Additionally, two-thirds of reported residential fire deaths occurred in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Further, fire deaths in homes with working smoke alarms are 51% less than the death rate for homes without this protection.
Earlier this week, two adults were killed in a St. Landry Parish house fire, and last month, a man died after a house fire occurred in his Baton Rouge home. Further, on December 25 a few months ago, 3 children died in Houma in a mobile home fire. Officials reported that there was “no working smoke alarms in the home.” Officials further said that the cause of the fire was likely caused from space heaters in the homes.
Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in reported home fires in half. Had there been a properly working smoke alarm in these cases, the chances of injury and or death would have been reduced substantially. Typically, people do not realize that there’s a fire until its too late or until it has become uncontrollable.
Take these necessary precautions to ensure that you’re not caught in a fire ablaze.
Safety Tips
- Install smoke alarms inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement if you have one.
- Larger homes may need additional smoke alarms to provide enough protection.
- For the best protection, interconnect all smoke alarms so when one sounds they all sound.
- Install smoke alarms following manufacturer’s instructions high on a wall or on a ceiling.
- Replace batteries in all smoke alarms at least once a year.
- If an alarm “chirps,” warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.
- Don’t forget to test all smoke alarms at least one a month using the test button.
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they do not respond properly when tested.
Our law firm handles cases involving vehicle accidents caused by manufacturing defects as well as well as cases against manufacturers and distributors of defective products including:
- Defective Children’s toys, baby products, clothing;
- Medications and medical devices;
- Faulty smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors; or
- Tools, machinery, or construction materials
If you have questions about whether or not your injury suffered was caused by a defective product, call Frank Tomeny today!
