Fire officials say smoke detectors saved family
Always test your smoke detectors
By Nick Robinson
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LINCOLN COUNTY, Wisconsin (WAOW) — When a fire breaks out in your home, you only have minutes to get to safety, and the family in a home off of Townline Road in Merrill learned that after a fire broke out in the front of the house.
The first started in the bedroom of the family’s three-month old daughter, but thankfully, the Pine River Volunteer Fire Department says her parents moved her into their bedroom on the other side of the house, so everyone made it out safely. Merrill EMS says there were no injuries.
Merrill Battalion Chief John Kraegenbrink says that early warning systems like smoke detectors are critical, and Pine River says that without them, there likely would have been a more tragic outcome.
Kraegenbrink said, “I guess it’s that first alert that previous to you smelling or knowing that there might be a problem in your house or smelling of smoke, that it alerts you and it alerts the rest of the household.”
As important as they are, Kraegenbrink says it’s just as important for your to make sure to take care of them, so if anything goes wrong, they’re working when it counts. He said, “For a replacement or checking the smoke detectors, you should at least do it annually, we recommend semi-annually. There should be a detector on every level of the home, especially in the areas where you’re sleeping at night.”
Another thing he said you should keep in mind, is that fires tend to spread much quicker now than they used to, due to materials that most modern furniture is made out of, giving you less time to react.
Kraegenbrink said, “Furniture and everything, coverings and curtains being made of plastics or a type of plastics, the flammability is a lot higher so everything ignites at a lower temperature.”
He said to always test your smoke detectors, and have a plan in case of a fire, because every second counts. The Red Cross is working to assist the family, and the Pine River Fire Department says there could soon be a donation link to help them get back on their feet.
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