Do You Know Your Smoke Alarm Safety Practices?

Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement is proud to have as part of our department the Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal's office. Our fire marshals not only review building plans for fire safety compliance, but conduct fire investigations and educate the public on fire safety.

Most people think they've got the basics of smoke alarms: change the batteries twice a year and test the batteries once a month. Don't stop there. Every 10 years, it's important to replace your smoke alarm entirely. 

Smoke alarms become less effective as they age, and keeping old smoke detectors in your home can compromise your family's safety, even if you change the batteries regularly. Here's how to check the age of your smoke alarm:

  1. Remove the smoke alarm from the wall or ceiling.
  2. Look at the back of the smoke alarm for a date. Sometimes this is called the "date of manufacture."
  3. Replace the smoke alarm with a new one if the date of manufacture was more than 10 years ago. 

Do you have enough smoke alarms in your home? Install them in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement. for best protection, make sure all smoke alarms are interconnected, so that when one sounds, they all sound.


For more info about smoke alarms, visit usfa.fema.gov and firepreventionweek.org.

Code Staff Recognized at Employee Fest

Customer Service Hero Award Herring  

As usual, many of our staff were nominated for Customer Service Hero awards this year, in a range of categories. This year, Mega-Multifamily Inspections Manager Andy Herring was chosen as Mecklenburg County's Customer Service Hero for Courtesy and Respect. 

At left, Herring is presented with the award by County Commissioner Pat Cotham and County Manager Dena Diorio.

Congratulations and thanks to all of our staff who go above and beyond daily to serve our customers well.