Replace Your Smoke Alarm Batteries for FREE

IRONWOOD, MI - Monday, November 29, 2010 - Thanks to a generous donation by Ever Ready batteries the Ironwood Volunteer Fire Department has free smoke detector batteries available for residents. While mostly the more common 9 volt type, we also have a limited number of AA batteries if your detector uses those.

They are available now until they run out at the Ironwood Water Department window in the Ironwood Memorial Building during regular business hours, Monday through Friday.

We thank Ever Ready for making this program possible and it's our hope that we all have a happy and fire-safe holiday season and winter.

Here are a few interesting statistics about smoke detectors:

• Fire deaths have been cut in half since smoke detectors were introduced in the late 1970s.
• An estimated 95% of homes have at least one smoke detector.
• An estimated 20% of smoke detectors are not function due to dead or missing batteries.
• Almost 900 lives could be saved each year if all homes had working smoke detectors.

Please, don't take a chance. If you haven't changed the batteries in your smoke detector recently, here's a chance to do it, and it won't cost you a dime. What you save may be invaluable.