October is Fire Prevention Month and Clark County Fire District 3 is working to keep senior citizens and others safe by installing free smoke alarms to those who need them.
Division chief and fire marshal Chris Drone said the month-long event “shines a light on often overlooked simple things that can help prevent injuries or deaths due to fire.”
He said one of the biggest things that can prevent injuries or death in relation to a fire is the early alerts smoke alarms provide.
“If you do have a smoke alarm that activates, it’s equally important to know how to get out, so that’s where evacuation planning comes into effect,” Drone said. “We do have resources on our district website, but really it boils down to knowing two ways out of your residence, should there be a fire.”
Drone said the district recently went to a local meeting with senior citizens. They distributed over 100 smoke alarms there.
“We meet with them at least annually, so last year, our focus was on the importance of smoke alarms. And then we went over escape planning,” Drone said. “This year, we were fortunate enough to receive a grant through Firehouse Subs for our smoke alarms, so we’ve increased that campaign from education to actually providing the smoke alarms.”
He said the grant was part of a nationwide $69 million grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. Fire District 3 was awarded $10,000, which helped pay for the new smoke alarms for district residents.
“We’re extremely grateful for that. Otherwise, it’s tough to fund that type of thing without a grant,” Drone said.
When they install the fire alarms, Drone said they usually put them in extra rooms of a house.
“Some of these older homes were built where they would only have a smoke alarm in one common area, but there was no protection in any of the bedrooms,” he said. “Something to note, though, is that they are battery powered only. It’s a 10-year lithium-ion battery, so once we install it, it’s good for 10 years and you never have to change the battery.”
In terms of senior citizens specifically, he said fires in their homes are rare. The district helps aid older adults by visiting assisted living facilities to give presentations on how to prevent slips, trips and falls.
“For the folks that live in our wildland-urban interface, we have a door-to-door campaign free of charge where we actually go out and evaluate their property for wildfire risk and give them education on how to mitigate their property to make it safer, should there be a wildfire,” Drone said.
Drone said their wildfire education is “super effective” as they help about 400 homes a year in the district. Clark County Fire District 3 can be reached at 360-892-2331.
For more information, go online to fire3.org.
