Miner’s Ace Hardware donates smoke detectors to the Atascadero City Fire Department

On January 22, 2013, at 1:00 P.M. the Atascadero City Fire Department will receive a donation of smoke detectors from Miner’s Ace Hardware, located at 9370 El Camino Real, Atascadero.  Miner’s will be presenting the Fire Department with several cases of smoke detectors which will be used by fire personnel to help supplement their existing smoke detector program. The Atascadero City Fire Department offers free smoke detectors to members of the public who cannot afford a smoke detector or will replace existing smoke detectors that are no longer functioning. The program started a little over five years ago, when fire personnel were responding to various emergencies and finding residences without the life saving devices or smoke detectors that were not working. “Smokes detectors save lives, plain and simple,” said Fire Captain Scott Hallett. “We need to make sure our residents are protected with a device designed to alert people to a fire quickly so they have adequate time to evacuate their homes.” The smoke detectors are carried on all the fire department’s fire engines and can be installed after the emergency is handled, or residents can call the fire department and set up an appointment for personnel to come out and replace the unit. “We were finding the majority of residents without functioning smoke detectors were in our elderly population which is a big concern for the fire department,” said Fire Chief Kurt Stone. “The smoke detector program has been successful in reducing the number of homes without these critical devices.” The fire department recommends having a smoke detector outside every room of a house and to change the batteries in those smoke detectors at least twice a year. The fire department also encourages residents to have at least one carbon monoxide detector in their home as well. As of July 2011, California landlords and homeowners, including sellers of residential property, must comply with the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010. This law addresses the problem of carbon monoxide poisoning which is the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States. Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas produced whenever any fuel is burned. It can enter the home from sources as seemingly innocent as a gas stove, furnace, or woodstove, usually due to leakage, back-drafting, or poor venting.