A fire destroyed the home Maurice’s assistant police chief, Guy Nerren, Friday morning.
He and his family were asleep when the fire first broke out in his mobile home. Nerren says the only reason he woke up is because he heard the smoke alarm go off and he’s now stressing that having a working smoke alarm in your home can truly make the difference between life or death, “We would’ve been trapped on each side of the fire. I couldn’t have gotten to them and they couldn’t have gotten out.”
According to the National Fire Protection Association, roughly three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without working smoke alarms.
They also report that the death rate for home fires was more than twice as high in homes that did not have any working smoke alarms, compared to the rate in homes with working smoke alarms.
According to their website, the NFPA recommends you:
- Install smoke alarms in every bedroom and on every level of the home
- Test all smoke alarms at least once per month
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old
So even if you don’t want to take the experts advice, take it from someone who experienced it firsthand, “I’m telling people now… If they want to save their family, make sure their fire alarms work because I can guarantee you, the few extra seconds I had really saved my family,” says Nerren.
