This year's theme is "Beep Beep Beep Smoke Alarm: Sound You Can Live With." Although it is called "Fire Prevention Week" the Murfreesboro Fire Department will be spending the entire month of October spreading fire safety messages. The Fire Prevention Division offers the Fire Safety House to Kindergarten-2nd Graders in city schools and county schools located within the city limits. "Freddie the Fire Truck" is offered to Pre-School students within the city.

In keeping with the theme, the Murfreesboro Fire Department would like to remind the citizens of Murfreesboro about the importance of smoke alarms.

Smoke alarms are an important first line of defense against fire. If they are not in working order, they cannot protect you and your family. It is essential for every household to have working smoke alarms.

• 85 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home, and the majority happen at night when most people are sleeping. Smoke alarms provide the advance warning needed to escape safely;

• 40 percent of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms.

• Another 23 percent happen in homes with smoke alarms that do not work.

When smoke alarms fail to sound, it is usually because the batteries are

missing, dead, or disconnected.