Smoke detector safety

(ABC 6 NEWS) – The Rochester Fire Department wants you to make sure your smoke detector is working properly.

Last month, RFD crews responded to a cooking fire. It burned the cabinets and charred the entirety of the kitchen ceiling.

Officer Ben Schlag of the Rochester Police Department was at the apartment earlier in the day, he noticed the smoke detectors were not working.

He called RFD and they added two smoke detectors for the family of four. He’s being credited for this, without working smoke detectors, RFD believes this fire could have been worse.

They say to make sure to check your smoke detectors monthly.

"When you test your smoke alarm, it’s good to have a plan in the house, especially if you have children. It’s good to have that fire drill plan at home, everyone knows what that smoke alarm sounds like, and then they know what to do when they hear it," Ben Davis, captain of the Rochester Fire Department said.

Captain Davis says three out of five fire deaths occur in homes without a working smoke detector.

Around 50 to 60 fire deaths happen a year in Minnesota.