OUR VIEW: The difference between life and death

Two weeks ago, fires claimed the lives of four Cache Valley residents, but at least three of those lives may have been saved if the smoke detectors in their apartment had been regularly maintained.

When the flames broke out in the apartment that morning, no alarm sounded. Instead a mother, and two of her children awoke to smoke and heat and flames – their smoke detector void of batteries.

After a fire breaks into a free-burning stage, you have less than two minutes to get out of the building.

The minutes or even seconds a smoke detector’s warning would have provided could have been life saving. Instead, a family is left to mourn their loss.

We urge students to check their smoke detectors regularly, making sure they have working batteries and are fully functional.

The tight budget and busy schedule of most college students may leave them unaware or unconcerned about their smoke detectors, but the time and money it takes to maintain a detector doesn’t have to come from the student.

In most apartment contracts, landlords are required to provide and either maintain those smoke detectors or require the tenant to do so. Those students who don’t know which category they fall into should double check their contract or give their landlord a call to see. In addition, the Logan Fire Department offers smoke detectors and batteries free to those who qualify.

If the smoke detector in your home or apartment isn’t working, please notify your landlord immediately and have the problem remedied. It could mean the difference between life and death.