Fire Chiefs Create “Super Safety Challenge” for the Big Game

MEBANE, N.C., Jan. 29, 2014 When the football teams from Denver and Seattle face each other Sunday, Feb. 2, each citys fire chiefs will watch the game for more than bragging rights. Denver Fire Chief Eric Tade and Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean, in coordination with Kidde Fire Safety, have agreed to a safety challenge that may help save lives. Kidde, a leading manufacturer of residential fire safety products, is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

The chief of the winning teams city will receive 250 of Kiddes Worry-Free 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms to install in homes in need throughout the city. The losing citys chief will receive 100 of the same alarms and must install them wearing the other teams jersey.

Both chiefs understand the importance of properly functioning smoke alarms. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), two-thirds of nationwide fire fatalities occur in homes without smoke alarms or without working smoke alarms. The main reason smoke alarms do not sound in a fire is missing or dead batteries.

Just this week, a Denver couple was woken up before 4 a.m. when a home fire activated their smoke alarms and prompted them to get out of the house and call 911,: said Tade. We encourage all residents to replace smoke detectors every 10 years and test the batteries weekly.

Smoke detectors are residents best first defense against the dangers of smoke and fire, added Dean. A working smoke alarm will provide residents the vital early warning signal necessary for a safe evacuation from a burning home.

Kiddes Worry-Free alarms contain a sealed-in lithium battery proven to offer nonstop power for a decade. That means homeowners never have to replace a battery or hear a low-battery chirp for 10 years. For more information, go to www.worryfreealarm.com.