October 10, 2019 - Fort Wayne UNITED’s TenPoint Coalition Foot Patrols walked in the Oxford community with the Fort Wayne Fire Department today to deliver and install smoke detectors to area residents during Fire Prevention Week.
The number one line of defense in the event of a home fire is working smoke detectors. This door-to-door smoke detector distribution and installation, also referred to as a “blitz,” allows for a quick and efficient way to distribute and install free smoke detectors to the community.
The U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) advise that smoke detectors be installed inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. Most fatal fires happen at night, and this will provide the occupants with the much-needed early warning to get out before they are trapped.
City of Fort Wayne residents who would like to request a free smoke detector, hearing-impaired fire alarm or a carbon monoxide alarm may fill out an application at www.fortwaynefiredepartment.org. The Fort Wayne Fire Department has been awarded a Federal Department of Homeland Security (FEMA) grant for the purchase of 750 smoke detectors, 60 alarms for the hearing impaired and 1,750 Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms.
In a fire, mere seconds can mean the difference between a safe escape and a tragedy. Fire safety education isn’t just for school children. Teenagers, adults, and the elderly are also at risk in fires, making it important for every member of the community to take some time every October during Fire Prevention Week to make sure they understand how to stay safe in case of a fire.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!” works to educate everyone about the small but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe. Please visit https://www.nfpa.org/fpw for educational resources.
Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country. Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage. This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.