Firefighters talk fire prevention

HAMDEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- It's been one year since a fire tore through this Stamford home on Christmas morning, taking the lives of 3 young girls and their grandparents. The tragedy sparked a renewed awareness of the importance of having working smoke detectors in homes.

"Make sure you have new batteries in your smoke detectors not old ones that you pulled out of a toy or anything. Go buy a brand new battery, check the date on it to make sure it hasn't been on a shelf for a few years," said CJ Hedges a Hamden Firefighter.

There are more fire hazards this time of year and that's why firefighters want you to make sure you're well-protected. They recommend having smoke detectors nearby where you sleep.

"The risk fire between having a tree in there, all sorts of paper, stuff out of its place from where it would usually be, it just raises the chances of fire this time of year," Hedges said.

The Hamden fire department is doing everything it can to lower that risk including knocking on residents' doors today to make sure their homes are safe.

"We have a few fire hazards that we know about and we're actually going to go out and grab some of them today and we're going to knock on their door and ask if we can put it up for them," Hedges said.

If a fire were to break out in your home, they say it's important to get right out and not try to fight the flames yourself.

The Hamden fire department and so many other fire departments across the state say if you need help installing a smoke detector or changing your batteries or have any questions you can always give them a call and they'd be happy to help.