FARMINGTON – Thirteen homes received new smoke alarms this weekend thanks to a collaborative effort between the American Red Cross, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and the Farmington Fire Department.
As a local civic group, the DAR was able to make contacts with the community to identify households that needed new or replacement smoke alarms, and coordinate with the Red Cross, which supplied the units and training.
The Farmington Fire Department supported the effort by installing units in houses Saturday morning. Firefighters Alan Stewart and Evan Dorr, along with DAR members Linda Bauer, Pam McAllister, Echo McDonough, and Amanda Beane and her family, visited a total of 13 residences in Farmington.
In addition to installing new smoke alarms or replacing existing units, the crews shared information on fire safety. The Red Cross and other fire prevention agencies state that when the fire alarm goes off, occupants only have two minutes to get out of the building safely. For households with multiple occupants, it is important to have an evacuation plan in place, along with a pre-determined meeting spot a safe distance away from the home so families can account for everyone. Other things to consider include making a plan for the safety of pets, creating a ‘go bag’ with copies of important documents and other critical items, and having important contact information written down in a safe location outside of the home in case cell phones are lost or damaged.
Connie Hiltz, 91, a Farmington resident, expressed surprise when her visitors shared the two minute guideline for safely evacuating the house. Both of the smoke alarms in her house were functional, but were nearing the end of the life span on the batteries. Firefighters Dorr and Stewart replaced the units with brand new ones. When told that the new units had a ten year life span, Connie noted she would have to live to 101. As the crew was leaving, Connie said she was glad for the visit as well as the new smoke alarms.
This is a part of the Red Cross ‘Home Fire Campaign’ which aims to reduce household fire related deaths and injuries by 25% in the next five years. The campaign focuses not only on education and information, but offers a hands-on approach by supplying and installing smoke alarms in households.
Eric Lynes, Disaster Program Manager for the North-Northeast region, said that winter weather conditions often slow down the campaign, but the winter is a critical time to have smoke alarms present and functional in homes due to increased use of heat sources and other fire hazards.
Lynes said this is the second smoke alarm installation event that the Red Cross has held in Farmington.
The Red Cross has documented several instances where the organization installed smoke alarms in a residence and within months, the occupants were alerted to a house fire and able to safely evacuate due to those smoke alarms, Lynes said.
The Red Cross does have to collect some demographic information for the households in which they are active, such as the number of residents in the household, the number of residents under age 17 and over age 65, those with disabilities, those who are veterans or active duty military, and how many pre-existing smoke alarms were in the home and how many of those were functional. This information isn’t to be sold or distributed, but allows the Red Cross to accurately see how many individuals they are impacting with the installations they perform.
Sophie Piconi, Executive Director of the Red Cross in Central and Mid Coast Maine, said that this data collection is not to be invasive, but to measure the impact and see where they need to focus their efforts.
The American Red Cross is routinely called in to assist victims of house fires by providing emergency relief, along with assisting through other disasters. By taking proactive measures such as the Home Fire Campaign the Red Cross hopes to reduce the risk of death or injury, protecting families and communities.
The DAR Farmington chapter is hoping to hold a larger smoke alarm installation event later in the year.
For more information on the Red Cross and the Home Fire Campaign, visit the Red Cross website.
