CHENANGO – Fire departments across the county are urging residents to be able to “hear the beep where you sleep.”

That’s the slogan behind the national annual Fire Prevention Week which runs this year from Oct. 4-10.

Fire Prevention Week is a 90-year-old tradition that educates about the importance of fire safety and the measures people can take to stop fires before they start. The key message of this year’s campaign is to have a working smoke alarm in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of every home.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, approximately half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep. But having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half.

“We here at the Chenango County Bureau (of Fire) belive that fire safety and prevention should be practiced 365 days a year,” said Michael Beckwith, Deputy Fire Coordinator for the Chenango County Bureau of Fire.