SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - October is Fire Prevention Month, and Springfield firefighters are kicking off their safety awareness by educating the public on smoke detectors.
In 2017, the General Assembly passed a law requiring everyone living in Illinois to replace their old smoke detectors with the type that has a 10-year sealed battery.
City Fire Marshall Ed Canny said Illinois-based First Alert made a donation of 100 of these smoke detectors to the Springfield Fire Department so they can help reduce the number of fire-related injuries in the community.
"There's only so many dollars in the budget, and so every donation of smoke detectors really helps us provide for the community," Canny said.
According to Canny, the number of fire-related deaths has historically gone down, but someone is more likely to die in a residential fire now than ever before.
"Every year there's close to 100 fire fatalities, and most of those fatalities happen at night when they are asleep," Canny said. "Of the 100 fire fatalities, 70 percent of those are because people didn't have working smoke detectors."
Margaret Vaughn, director of government affairs for the Illinois Firefighters Association, said at just $20, these smoke detectors are cost-effective and the batteries never have to be replaced.
"The battery is built-in and it can't be removed," Vaughn said. You don't have to change batteries every six months."
This law does not go into effect until 2022, giving fire departments enough time to educate the public.
"Years ago, the fire department, when it was natural materials being used in construction, they had like 30 minutes to get there before the house would be engulfed in flames, and now it's less than three," Vaughn said.
Anyone in the Springfield area can call the fire department at (217)788-8474 for free smoke detector installation.
"For the sake of your family, and your loved ones, make sure you're protected," Vaughn said.
