Smoke Alarm Assistance

There is no doubt that the earliest notification of a fire in your home gives you the best chance of getting out alive. Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a huge role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. Most people underestimate how fast fire grows and how quickly the smoke spreads. Review the Smoke Alarms at Home (PDF) for more helpful safety tips.

What to Know

Here's what you need to know:

• At a minimum, install smoke alarms in each bedroom where residents sleep.
• Place a smoke alarm in the hallway outside the bedrooms.
• A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire so Close Before You Doze!
• Interconnected hard-wired smoke alarms are recommended because when one alarm senses smoke and alarms, they all alarm. If you install regular battery-powered alarms be very diligent about changing batteries once a year or when they begin to chirp.
• Both types (interconnected and battery-powered) have 9-volt batteries that must be changed once a year or when they begin to chirp. When one begins to chirp, change the batteries in every smoke alarm. The system sometimes chooses one alarm to chirp when the low battery is in another alarm in the system.
• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.

If Your Smoke Alarm Goes Off

If the smoke alarms in your home or business are going off and you are unsure of why, please leave the building and call 9-1-1.

If you need assistance with a chirping smoke alarm or with help troubleshooting a smoke alarm problem, please call us at 817-276-4790. If no one answers please leave your name and number and your call will be returned as quickly as possible. If you leave a message on the weekend know that your call will not be returned until Monday.

Please do not contact a Mansfield fire station directly for assistance with a smoke alarm.

To request assistance with your smoke alarm, please fill out this form.

What We Can Do

Please know that Mansfield Fire Department does assist qualified citizens with smoke alarm issues. There is, however, a limit to the assistance we can provide. Please use the following information to determine if you meet the qualifications for assistance:

• Mansfield Fire Department will assist with smoke alarms for persons who are elderly or disabled.
• Free smoke alarms will be installed in the homes of persons who are financially unable to purchase smoke alarms. Smoke alarms may not be obtained at Mansfield fire stations.
• Batteries will be changed in smoke alarms that are located no higher than 8 feet from the floor on walls or ceilings. If the smoke alarm cannot be reached with a six-foot ladder, Mansfield Fire Department is not able to provide assistance.
• A limit of three smoke alarm batteries will be changed in each home.
• If your smoke alarms are hard-wired - meaning they pull power from your home's electrical system using wires that are connected to the wall or ceiling - Mansfield Fire Department can only change the batteries in these alarms. We cannot do any sort of wiring work or installation of new alarms using your home's wiring.

If you need assistance but do not meet these qualifications we ask that you seek a qualified electrician or handyman to assist you with your smoke alarm needs.