‘Be Alarmed!' program bringing awareness to testing smoke, CO alarms in IL
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is reminding state residents to keep up with their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors through a program.
Through the 'Be Alarmed!' program, the OSFM is urging Illinois residents to test, inspect and replace broken or expired smoke and CO alarms in their homes. As Daylight Saving Time starts at 2 a.m. on March 9, the OSFM wants people to install new 10-year sealed battery alarms while they change their clocks.
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The time change serves as a bi-annual reminder for all Illinois residents to test all smoke and CO alarms in their houses. When people find alarms that aren't working, they should replace them immediately. Reviewing fire escape plans with family and holding a drill to practice them can be essential to safety as well.
'Early warnings from smoke alarms are crucial, as on average, a person has less than three minutes to escape a home fire today,' Illinois State Fire Marshal James Rivera said. 'Taking just a few minutes each month to test, inspect, and replace broken or expired alarms is simple, but working smoke alarms save lives. It's also important to review and practice your fire escape plan, identify two ways out of every room, and designate a meeting place outside the home.'
Additionally, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is reporting that nearly three out of every five home fire deaths across the country resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working smoke detectors. Over one-third (38%) of all home fire deaths came from fires where no smoke alarms were present.
According to NFPA, when working smoke alarms are present in homes, the risk of dying in a house fire is cut by 60%.
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According to statistics from the 'Be Alarmed!' program, 74% of smoke alarms were not working in homes before residents received their new 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms (14,034 of 19,036 pre-existing smoke detectors).
'We are excited to report our first direct save from our Be Alarmed! Smoke Alarm Installation Program in Greenville on February 16,' said Philip Zaleski, Executive Director of 'Camp I Am Me' by the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance. 'This success highlights the hard work and dedication of the 320 departments across 61 Illinois counties, which continue to make a significant impact on fire safety. I encourage other departments to join us in our efforts to help save lives throughout the state.'
In 2024, the program brought new smoke alarms to over 2,800 homes and 5,252 residents across the state. These people were also educated about the importance of having a fire safety plan.
More than 40,000 smoke alarms, worth almost $1 million, have been distributed to Illinois fire departments since 2018 when the Be Alarmed! program started. This fire safety education and smoke alarm installation program is administered between Camp I Am Me and the OSFM.
Be Alarmed! is aimed at creating fire-safe communities. For more information on the program, visit www.ifsa.org.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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