The Chatham-Kent fire service is using Fire Safety Week to remind people that smoke detectors have a shelf life. 
Public Educator with Chatham-Kent fire, Whitney Burke says people already know about checking batteries and placement.
“The next step is making sure that those alarms are working,” Burke says. “Obviously testing every month is important, but we want to let people know that your smoke alarms do expire. You want to look at the manufacturer’s instructions in terms of when they do expire, but it’s normally around 10 years.”
Burke says firefighters will be speaking to every Grade 7 student this week, encouraging them to take selfies as they and their families check the smoke detectors in their home, and share the pictures using the hashtag #checkthed8.
