Children hold their ears when they hear the shrill sound made by a working smoke detector.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE – After years of promoting fire safety and instructing residents of all ages to make sure they have working smoke detector in their homes and that batteries are replaced annually, at least one Margate public official was surprised to discover there were no smoke detectors installed at two rental properties to protect tenants.
Building Inspector Jim Galantino said he performed four inspections of rental properties as required by municipal ordinances last week only to find that three of the four were non-compliant.
“As of four inspections we did this week, two didn’t have smoke detectors in the house and one had defective smoke detector,” he said. “This is insane. This is 2023. We should all have smoke detectors, and the correct batteries and the correct smoke detectors.”
New homes have top-of-the-line smoke and CO detectors that are hard wired with a battery backup, he said, noting that a recent fire in Lacey Township claimed four lives.
Fire Chief Dan Adams remindes residents that working smoke detectors save lives. The Fire Department can help with installing smoke detectors that residents purchase, and the department also has a limited number of free 10-year lithium ion battery smoke detectors available for installation at owner-occupied homes.
The department obtains smoke detectors at no cost from the Operation 6ABC Save A Life campaign, Atlantic City Electric, American Red Cross and the Atlantic County Fire Marshall, he said.
“We assure you that we have them available for our residents, however, we will not put them up if you are selling your property or renting your property,” he said. “If you buy them for the rental or sale, we will be happy to assist you with installing them.”
Traditional battery operated smoke detectors that are more than 10 years old should be replaced with a new 10-year battery smoke detector.
For information about obtaining a smoke detector for your residence, contact the Margate Fire Department at 609-822-5562.
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