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By Jeremy Coumbes on March 12, 2021 at 6:27pm
Several South Jacksonville residences are now a bit safer.
The South Jacksonville Fire Department has spent a good deal of time installing new smoke detectors in several homes throughout the village.
Fire Chief Rich Evans says within the last few years, the South Jacksonville Fire Department signed up to take part in the Be Alarmed Smoke Alarm Installation Program.
Be Alarmed is administered cooperatively between the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA) and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM). The program distributes fire safety education materials and 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms free of charge to fire departments in the state of Illinois.
State Fire Marshal reminds Illinoisans to practice safety
Canton Daily Ledger
SPRINGFIELD The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) reminds Illinoisans to test, check for expired alarms and replace batteries in their smoke alarms as they change the clock this weekend.
“Working smoke alarms are critical to preventing serious injuries and death in the case of a house fire. It only takes a couple of extra minutes to push the test button on smoke alarm or CO alarm to ensure it’s working. That extra minute or two could save your life one day,” said State Fire Marshall Matt Perez. “In 2020, the pandemic slowed the efforts of our “Be Alarmed” program. Still, we had 185 participating fire departments from 61 counties in Illinois install 1,655 10-year sealed smoke alarms in Illinois homes. Thanks to their dedication, there are nearly 600 homes in Illinois protected and nearly 1,400 residents educated on smoke alarm maintenance, home fire safety and home fire escape plans. R
OSFM encourages older Illinoisans to practice fire safety
Canton Daily Ledger
SPRINGFIELD he Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and the Illinois Department of Aging (IDoA) are encouraging older Illinoisans to keep fire safety a top priority. Some seniors have decreased sight, hearing and restricted mobility, needs that should be considered when creating a fire escape plan. In 2019, out of the 110 fire deaths in Illinois, 47.6 percent of those deaths were people over the age of 60. According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), older adults face the greatest relative risk of dying in a fire. In 2018, older adults represented 16 percent of the United States population but suffered 42 percent of all fire deaths. Those who are 85 and older were 3.8 times more likely to die in a fire than the total population.