The city of Elgin is offering residents free smoke detectors Wednesday (Oct. 23, 2019) as a reminder of a new state law that requires 10-year sealed batteries in smoke detectors for home built prior to 1988.

If you didn’t know about the law, you should consider attending the press conference, which takes place a 2 p.m. Wednesday at Elgin Fire Station #6, 707 W. Chicago St.

A 10-year alarm can be recognized by its packaging. Fire officials are not endorsing any specific brand.

The Elgin Fire Department will be receiving 100 smoke detectors and 10 installation kits through a grant with the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance and First Alert. The smoke detectors will be presented during the press conference co-sponsored by the EFD and the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance.

The purpose of the press conference is to educate the public on PA-100-0200, which will require smoke detectors with a 10-year sealed battery to be installed in all dwellings which were either built before 1988 or which do not already have hardwired smoke detectors.

State Sen. Cristina Castro, state Rep. Anna Moeller, State Fire Marshal Matt Perez, Kane County Public Health Department officials, Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Director Phil Zaleski and Illinois Firefighters Association Government Affairs Director Margaret Vaughn will be attending the press event.

Immediately following the press event, members of the Elgin Fire Department and elected officials will canvass a local neighborhood to make sure residents have proper smoke detectors. The plan is to canvass the west side neighborhood near Hamilton where an Oct. 14 house fire occurred.

Background

In 2018, there were more than 100 residential fire deaths in Illinois. The majority of these deaths are occurring in homes without working smoke detectors.

The General Assembly passed PA 100-0200 to address this problem, by requiring Illinois residents to replace their old smoke detectors with the type that contain long term 10-year sealed batteries over the next few years.

Since 1988, the Illinois Smoke Detector Act has required all dwellings to have smoke detectors. The new requirement just updates that law to reflect the changes in new technology aimed at saving lives, while making it easier and more cost effective for Illinois residents to comply.

For more information, contact Elgin Fire Chief David Schmidt at 847-931-6180.

SOURCE: Elgin Fire Department news release