AID TOWNSHIP —Jacob Bentley is a cute-as-a-bug 10-year-old with flaming red hair and a winning grin. He is also a walking, talking advertisement for the value of smoke detectors.

On Feb. 2, two fires broke out in the Bentley home at 1760 Township Road 256, Kitts Hill. The first fire was small and Jacob’s dad, Jeff Bentley extinguished flames on a sofa with a fire extinguisher. The family did not realize that the small fire was caused by a growing attic fire in which debris from that fire had dropped down a vent and onto the sofa.

Later in the day, the attic fire progressed and Jacob heard the smoke detectors. He wakened his father and his mother, Crystal. The family was able to safely escape the home and call the fire department with a cell phone.

Most of the house was destroyed, but the Bentleys are safe. Monday evening, they stood as a family and accepted the Ohio Fire Marshal’s Smoke Detector On Guard (Smoke D.O.G.) award from Aid Township Fire Chief Joe Justice and Ohio Fire Academy Superintendent Frank Conway.

“We are very proud of the Bentley family for taking a very simple action that many people in Ohio should, but don’t,” Conway told a crowd of well-wishers at the Aid Township Volunteer Fire Department.

He particularly praised Jacob for handling a frightening situation with a calmness that defied his years.

“He did not panic and quickly thought to wake up his parents,” Conway noted.

The principle of basic fire safety that includes having working, properly tested smoke detectors is one that Justice preaches often.

“We recommend that people change the batteries in their smoke detector when they set their clocks ahead each year,” Justice said.

Daylight savings time was this past weekend.

According to the fire marshal’s office, the value of smoke detectors is evident in the statistics: in 2008 there were 184 fire fatalities in Ohio. In the homes where those deaths occurred, only 20 percent had working smoke detectors. Thus far in 2009, there have been 23 fire fatalities and of those 23, only three of the affected homes were confirmed to have working smoke detectors.

Though the fire may be out at his house, young Jacob may have fire — or firefighting — in his future.

Justice invited the young man back to the fire department when he turns 18. Ohio Department of Commerce official Karen Bowman invited him to try out the state’s fire academy when he is older, too.

In the meantime, Jacob and his friend, Sarah Nickel got a ride in an Aid fire truck, compliments of firefighter Lewis Pauley.