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Firefighters are often asked to speak to school and community groups about the importance of fire safety, particularly fire prevention and detection. Because smoke detectors reduce the risk of dying in a fire by half, firefighters often give audiences information on how to install these protective devices at home.

Specifically, they tell them: a smoke detector should be placed on each floor of a home. Because sleeping people are in particular danger from an emergent fire, there must be a detector outside each sleeping area; a good site is a hallway that runs between living spaces and bedrooms. Because of the dead-air space that might be missed by turbulent hot air bouncing around above a fire, smoke detectors should be installed either on the ceiling at least four inches from the nearest wall, or high on a wall at least four but no further than twelve inches from the ceiling.

Detectors should not be mounted near windows, exterior doors, or other places where drafts might direct the smoke away from the unit. Nor should they be placed in kitchens and garages, where cooking and gas fumes are likely to cause false alarms.

According to the passage, one of the responsibilities of a firefighter is to

AInstall smoke detectors in the homes of residents in the community
BCheck homes to see if smoke detectors have been properly installed
CDevelop fire safety programmes for community leaders and school teachers
DSpeak to school groups about the importance of preventing fires ✓ Correct
Correct answer: (D) Speak to school groups about the importance of preventing fires
Explanation

A firefighter's responsibility is to speak to school groups about preventing fires, so that is the answer.

The passage opens by describing what firefighters are often asked to do.

They are asked to speak to school and community groups about fire safety.

This includes stressing the importance of fire prevention and detection.

So speaking to school groups about preventing fires is a stated responsibility.

The passage does not say they install detectors or inspect homes themselves.

So the responsibility is to speak to school groups about the importance of preventing fires.

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