Firefighters in Everett and Lake Stevens will install 600 free smoke alarms next year, thanks to a grant from the state Department of Health.
The Everett Fire Department will receive 300 new smoke alarms for seniors, plus $1,500 for installation and fire education.
Snohomish County Fire District 8 in Lake Stevens will get 300 smoke alarms for seniors and low-income families. The district also will receive $4,000 to install them and to buy smoke detectors for hearing-impaired residents.
"I was elated, absolutely elated," District 8 Fire Prevention Specialist Robert Marshall said. "We know that there’s a need there. At one apartment complex I just inspected, I handed out smoke alarms at four out of the six units."
Lake Stevens and Everett are two of the 10 fire agencies statewide chosen for the grant, said Mary Borges, a state Department of Health injury prevention specialist.
Firefighters will begin installing alarms in January.
"Because fire departments know their communities so well, they know the trouble spots and can go out and reach the areas where they’re getting a lot of calls," Borges said.
The Everett Fire Department is targeting seniors after learning that hundreds lack working smoke detectors, Everett Fire investigator Rick Robinson said.
He cited U.S. Fire Administration statistics that show seniors are at high risk for injuries in a fire. In Snohomish County, 10 people age 55 and older died in fires from 1997 through 2001, according to the state health department.
Smoke alarms are critical for seniors, who usually need extra time to escape a burning building, Robinson said. Firefighters who install the detectors also will help seniors devise a fire escape plan, he said.
"This is just one way to help seniors be a little safer," Robinson said, adding that firefighters will work with the Everett Senior Center to find those who need alarms.
Lake Stevens firefighters will work with the Lake Stevens Senior Center and civic groups to aid seniors and low-income residents.
"In a fire, the smoke isn’t going to wake you up. It puts you to sleep because of the toxic gasses the fire produces. What you need is time to get out of the house. That’s what smoke alarms give you," Marshall said.
The free smoke alarms have lithium batteries, which will last 10 years.
The grant money is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and distributed by the state Department of Health. This is the sixth year fire departments have received money for smoke alarms.
"We’ve had at least 12 people who have been saved by the smoke alarms placed throughout the state," Borges said. "We know they’re saving lives."
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.
Call your local fire department to find out how smoke detectors can help protect your home.
In Everett, firefighters are offering free smoke alarms for seniors who lack working alarms or whose alarms are more than 10 years old. For more information, call 425-257-8127.
In Lake Stevens, firefighters are offering free smoke alarms to seniors and low-income families. For more information, call 425-334-3034.
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