NFPA Journal - Fall 2021 - 20

Dispatches
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
CHIRPS & BEEPS
2021 FIRE PREVENTION WEEK CAMPAIGN
IS DESIGNED TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC
ON THE SOUNDS OF FIRE SAFETY
By Jesse Roman
W
hile it's tempting for fire safety professionals
to assume that everyone knows that a " chirp "
means to replace a fire alarm's battery-and
that a series of three beeps means to get out
of the house now-plenty of evidence suggests
otherwise.
That's why organizers of Fire Prevention Week (FPW)
have made this year's theme " Learn the Sounds of Fire
Safety, " and included a pair of slogans: " Hear a chirp, make
a change! " and " Hear a beep, get on your feet! " The 2021
FPW, now in its 99th year, will take place October 3-9.
During the past year, when most schooling took
place at home over computers, " we learned from
teachers that they sometimes heard chirps coming
from the smoke alarms in their students' homes, and
the kids weren't sure what it meant, " said Andrea
Vastis, the senior director of public education at
NFPA. When the chirps disappeared days later, the
teachers asked if the alarm's batteries had been
replaced-in some cases, the students said that
their parents had just taken the alarm down.
Stories of people not knowing what to do
when their alarm makes sounds are not uncommon,
Vastis said. " After a while, that chirp can
become white noise for some people and they
ignore it until the battery dies. In other cases,
they just think it means the alarm is broken or
125TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE SERIES |
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION | September 14
nfpa.org/conferenceseries
The event, which will take place virtually, features 10 presentations
and interactive workshops focused on aspects of public
education related to fire and life safety. Visit the conference
website for more information on session topics and to register
for the event.
20 | NFPA JOURNAL * FALL 2021
malfunctioning, so they take it down, " she said. Both scenarios
are dangerous because most fire deaths occur in
homes without working smoke alarms.
Over the course of FPW week, fire departments, schools,
and other community organizations across North America
will hold a series of in-person and remote events to educate
residents about the actions to take when they hear beeps and
chirps coming from smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
FPW resources-including tip sheets, educator packets,
lesson plans, fundraising toolkits, merchandise, and more-
are available at nfpa.org/fpw.
Organizers have also included information on the site
about alarms and strategies for deaf and hard-of-hearing
residents who may require special devices-ranging from
low-frequency alarms, bed shakers, or even robots-to be
alerted effectively in the event of a fire. A new report by the
Fire Protection Research Foundation, released in August,
conducted an exhaustive review of available alarm technologies
for the deaf and hard-of-hearing population, including
a survey on what devices are used and how well they are
perceived to work. That study, along with previous work that
evaluated the effectiveness of low-frequency alarms, is available
at nfpa.org/foundation.
A tip sheet on fire safety for people who are deaf and hard
of hearing is available on the FPW website in both English
and Spanish.
http://www.nfpa.org/fpw http://www.nfpa.org/foundation http://www.nfpa.org/conferenceseries
NFPA Journal - Fall 2021

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