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Fire Prevention Week

This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Don’t Wait – Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years,” represents the final year of our three-year effort to educate the public about basic but essential elements of smoke alarm safety.

Why focus on smoke alarms three years in a row? Because NFPA’s survey data shows that the public has many misconceptions about smoke alarms, which may put them at increased risk in the event of a home fire. For example, only a small percentage of people know how old their smoke alarms are, or how often they need to be replaced. Read more from NFPA Journal.

As a result of those and related findings, we’re addressing smoke alarm replacement this year with a focus on these key messages:

  • Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years.
  • Make sure you know how old all the smoke alarms are in your home.
  • To find out how old a smoke alarm is, look at the date of manufacture on the back of the alarm; the alarm should be replaced 10 years from that date.

Get the answers to some frequently asked questions about replacing your smoke alarms.

FPW Photo Contest

Fire departments that think they’re worthy of some “flashy” attention should start getting camera-ready: Between now and October 7, NFPA is hosting its first-ever “Get Ready for Your Close-Up” catalog contest, where one U.S. fire department will be randomly selected to receive a professional photo shoot for the cover of NFPA’s 2017 Fire Prevention Week catalog.


Teach FPW

Take the opportunity to introduce Fire Prevention Week to students, members of your community and high-risk populations. NFPA has several free downloads for you to use, including:

2016 FPW infographic

FPW infographic (PDF) for your website, blogs, Facebook and Twitter. Place wherever you want to use it, and link the infographic to www.fpw.org. 
     Fire Prevention Week Lesson Plan

Building a Stronger Community  — The Importance of Working Smoke Alarms (PDF) is a lesson plan for grades 1-5.

     Fire Prevention Week parent letter

Teachers can send home a letter to parents in English (PDF) or Spanish (PDF) to encourage families to check the expiration date of smoke alarms.

See all of NFPA's FPW teaching materials.

Promote FPW

There are simple steps you can take to promote this year's campaign. And, if you don’t have the resources to promote FPW in your community, download our fundraising letter and ask local businesses for help (PDF). They’re often more willing to work with you than you may think.

See all of NFPA's FPW promotional materials.


Is it time for your smoke alarm to retire? Sparky reminds everyone that smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 years, and demonstrates how to find out the age of an alarm.



  • FPW infographic (PDF) to use on your website, blogs, Facebook and Twitter. Just download the graphic and place wherever you want to use it. Please link the infographic to www.fpw.org. 
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