Kingsport, TN- Kingsport Fire Department received a boost in their smoke alarm drive as the Kingsport Area Safety Council donates 50 Smoke Alarms.

“The KFD drive is going well and today’s donation from the Kingsport Area Safety Council advances us toward our goal of collecting at least 500 Smoke Alarms between now and Fire Prevention Month. The KFD has a great partnership history with the Kingsport Area Safety Council, this is an excellent example of one of the ways they continue to promote safety in our city and our region.” said Barry Brickey KFD’s Public Education Officer. 

“Organizations such as the Kingsport Area Safety Council, businesses like the A Team Real Estate Professionals, and private citizens have been showing great support in this effort to keep the people of Kingsport safe.”

New unopened Smoke Alarms can be dropped off at KFD Station 1 at 130 Island Street, Kingsport, any Kingsport Fire Department Station and the A Team Real Estate office at 1938 Brookside Drive. The goal is to collect at least 500 smoke alarms from now until Fire Prevention Month in October. 

Since 2006 the Kingsport Fire Department has distributed over 18,000 smoke alarms free to the public and installed many in the homes of Kingsport residents.

The Kingsport Area Safety Council was established in 1944 by several local businesses in an effort to promote a safer community in Kingsport and the region. The KASC is made of Safety Professionals from local Business and Industry. For more information about the Kingsport Area Safety Council go to: www.kptasc.org

Other than a Home Sprinkler, System Smoke Alarms are your best defense in a Home Fire. Follow these important smoke alarm safety measures:

• Make sure your smoke alarms are working. This means testing smoke alarms monthly, replacing batteries once a year or when a low-battery alarm chirps.  Replace the whole unit after 10 years.

• It is important to have not just one smoke alarm but one on each level of your home, outside each sleeping area and inside each bedroom. Tens of millions of U.S. homes are estimated to have smoke alarms but not enough smoke alarms to meet the standards and protect their homes.

• Interconnect your smoke alarms so that a fire detected by any smoke alarm will sound an alarm at every location where a smoke alarm is installed. Interconnection can be hard-wired or wireless. Interconnected smoke alarms provide early warning of fires that are located on the other side of a door or wall that may block sound.

• Develop and practice an escape plan so that everyone in the home knows what to do if the smoke alarm sounds. That includes planning a second way out from every room in your home. Every household that develops and practices an escape plan with two ways out from every location improves its time to escape in every type of fire.

There Are Different Types of Smoke Alarm Technologies—Ionization and Photoelectric

The two most recognized smoke detection technologies are ionization smoke detection and photoelectric smoke detection. Ionization smoke detection is generally more responsive to flaming fires and photoelectric smoke detection is generally more responsive to fires that begin with a long period of smoldering.

For The Best Smoke Alarm Protection Use Both Types of Alarm Technologies

It is recommended both (ionization and photoelectric) technologies be in homes. In addition to individual ionization and photoelectric alarms, combination alarms that include both technologies in a single device are available.

For more information contact Barry Brickey at the Kingsport Fire Department 423-224-2820 or brickey [at] ci [dot] kingsport [dot] tn [dot] us

Thank You,

Barry J Brickey
Public Education Officer
Kingsport Fire Department
130 Island Street
Kingsport, TN 37660
Ph: 423-229-9440 or 423-224-2820
www.kingsportfire.com