L.A. fire chief has families’ safety on his mind

For a career firefighter and leader of 3,300 Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) professionals, last weekend’s tragedy in Brooklyn strikes a particular chord. The deaths of seven young children and the critical injuries suffered by an eighth sibling and their mother serve as a stark reminder that fire can kill in any community. 

The pain of this tragic fire was compounded by the fact that there were no working smoke alarms found in the Sassoon family’s home. Simply put, smoke alarms save lives. 

A working smoke alarm could have alerted the family to the immediate danger as the smoke and flames first began to spread in the kitchen, and they may have had ample warning and time to escape the fire before it became an inferno.

Last year, the LAFD recorded 15 deaths citywide in residential fires without evidence of a working smoke alarm. Nearly all of those deaths could have been prevented if only the resident had been awakened by that piercing sound with which we are all familiar. 

The LAFD is proud to serve all residents of Los Angeles, including a large and vibrant observant Jewish community. Last weekend, a family in Brooklyn observing Shabbat left a hot plate burning while they slept. Many Angelenos celebrating Shabbat practice similar customs, exposing themselves and their families to myriad fire dangers. These risks are avoidable. The layer of protection that working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors provide is a measure that can help mitigate these circumstances. As we say in the fire service: Fire burns, smoke kills. 

The LAFD is committed to the safety of the people in the communities we serve. After significant injury or fatal fires in residential areas, our firefighters fan out across the neighboring blocks to alert residents of the incident and ask them to check their smoke alarms. We provide free batteries for alarms that need them, and in cases where there are no smoke detectors, we provide them for free.

But we also ask the community and the residents of L.A. to be proactive. The National Fire Protection Association recommends a residential smoke alarm installed in every sleeping room and in common hallways outside each sleeping area. 

The LAFD frequently reminds residents to “check your smoke alarm battery” in messages that coincide with the biannual time changes.  Checking your smoke alarm batteries and ensuring you have enough devices in your home is a simple way to keep you and your family safe. 

A new state law is designed to make this an even simpler proposition. The new law dictates that all smoke alarms manufactured and sold by retailers after July 1, 2015, must have nonreplaceable, nonremovable batteries that last at least 10 years. By Jan.  1, 2016, owners of rental units must install new 10-year battery smoke alarms in each bedroom or other sleeping area. 

In the coming weeks, the LAFD will partner with local community organizations to ensure additional smoke alarm and fire safety education within our observant Jewish communities. As the Passover holiday approaches, what better time than now to check your smoke alarms and install new ones if necessary? As you prepare for the ritual of the seder and the family gatherings, talk with your family about a fire escape plan. If there’s a fire in your home in the middle of the night, will your smoke alarms work? How will you get out of the house? Where will you meet as a group to ensure everyone is accounted for? 

These are questions you need answers to now, not later. Do not wait until it’s too late. The men and women of the LAFD join me in mourning the loss of the Sassoon children, and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families. Let’s continue to work together to prevent a similar tragedy here in the City of Angels.

Ralph M. Terrazas is the fire chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department.