SAN ANTONIO – When it comes to fire prevention the smoke alarm is the number tool. But the San Antonio Fire Department says they are encountering a new problem: children tuning it out because of all the digital noises in our world.
“We know it’s a big problem for kids because they sleep through it, because they are used to all the noises, their video games, their cellphones, the television, their household appliances,” Woody Woodward, marketing manager of the San Antonio Fire Department said.
He said it’s why SAFD teamed up with a local creative group Megaphonic Creative to create a PSA cartoon for San Antonio children, families and schools. He says this year the focus is to have parents teach their kids what the sounds are.
“So there is a chirping sound if the batteries are low,” Woodward said. “But the important thing we are focusing on is when the fire alarm actually goes off, when that smoke detector actually goes off that you have to do something.”
The cartoon depicts a little boy playing symphony conductor with all his modern day electronics while ignoring the smoke alarm, because of all the household noises. When he sees smoke and realizes the smoke alarm has been going off he runs outside to get his mother.
The PSA says “Life is a symphony of sounds. Your smoke alarm is made to break the symphony. When you hear..... beeeep beeep….find a safe place outside and find a grown up.”
Woodward advises checking your smoke alarms in your home at least once a month, he said all you need to do is push the button on the alarm to make sure it’s working.
“Be aware that those smoke detectors save lives,” Woodward said. “We just had a fire this week, a bad fire, and the smoke detector woke them up.”
You can see the full PSA cartoon and more educational material on fire prevention at www.firesafesa.com