By Robert Hudson

The Selma Times-Journal

In honor of National Fire Safety Month, a local company is providing a free service to help raise awareness and protect families and homes from fires.

October is National Fire Safety Month and the Bent Tree Electric Company is hoping to raise awareness by providing free safety inspections for anyone in the area.

“We’ll inspect the inside electrical panels, outside electrical panels if they have it,” said Don Smith, owner of Bent Tree Electric Company. “We’ll be inspecting the wiring in your attic, your crawlspace and your smoke detectors.”

Smith said it’s important that houses and other buildings are checked, especially smoke detectors in buildings because of the danger fire poses.

“A fire can build and grow in just minutes. That can cause poisonous gas to build up in a home easily,” Smith said. “If you’re asleep, it’s an extremely dangerous situation. That’s why smoke alarms are the most important things all people can have in their homes.”

Smith said the concern of family’s safety is what inspired the company to provide the inspections for free.

“This is a typical $197 service, but we’re doing it for free to raise awareness,” Smith said. “It’s a big concern that we want to alert as many people as possible to.”

According to the National Fire Protection Agency, 62 percent of home related fire deaths resulted because the home didn’t have smoke alarms, or the alarms were not functional.

The Home Safety Council reports that more than 3,000 people die from fires each year. Eighty percent of those deaths occur while in the home; the majority of those happen when people are sleeping.

Smith said there is a certain time frame for smoke detectors to be replaced.

“If your smoke alarms are over 10 years of age, I can’t emphasize enough to have them replaced, or at least inspected at the very least,” Smith said.

To schedule a free electrical safety inspection, call (334) 874-7074 or 1-888-9SPEEDY.