Red Cross: Smoke alarms are first line of defense against fires
Montville — Faulty smoke alarms are the most common fire inspection violation in Norwich, according to Deputy Fire Marshal Jacob Manke, but thanks to volunteers with the American Red Cross, homes in Norwich and the rest of eastern Connecticut have almost 1,500 more functional smoke alarms than this time last year.
The Home Fire Preparedness Campaign was launched nationally by the Red Cross in 2014 to reduce fire-related injuries and deaths by 25 percent by 2020.
Volunteers visit homes to install new smoke alarms if a house does not have them, educate residents on how to prevent a house fire and to share what to do in case of a fire or other disaster.
Territory 4, which covers 44 towns and two tribal nations in eastern Connecticut, joined the smoke alarm campaign in April 2015, said Sue Rochester-Bolen, senior director of emergency services for the Connecticut chapter of the Red Cross.
On Tuesday, local volunteers visited a raised ranch in a wooded neighborhood near Route 85 in Oakdale to install three smoke alarms for homeowner Alan Bray.
Bray, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and uses oxygen, said he never thought much about a fire in his house except to put a sticker on the front door to let first responders know about his two dogs.
"I wouldn't be able to do this," he said. "It would take the wind out of me if I had to run down to the hardware store and buy three [smoke alarms] and put them up. I feel a little more comfortable."
Fred Bolen of Norwich and Catherine Wessler of Higganum brought a ladder and drill set to install smoke alarms in the main hallway, downstairs family room and laundry room of Bray's house.
Rochester-Bolen walked Bray through the information packet and showed him how to test the alarms. The alarm they put in Bray's laundry room was the 1,000th installed by the local campaign since July.
"People get smoke detectors, but lots of times they don't put them in," she said. "By actually going out and installing them, we're eliminating that part ... but we actually get some face time with the family or the resident."
According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking is the leading cause of house fires and smoking is the leading cause of fire-related deaths.
Once a fire starts, residents may only have two minutes to get out safely, and the American Red Cross says a functional smoke alarm can double a person's chance of surviving a home fire.
Rochester-Bolen said the Red Cross has verified that since 2014 more than 50 people nationally have survived a home fire because of smoke alarms installed by volunteers.
Cindy Samul of New London, one of the volunteers who installs alarms, said she started volunteering for the Red Cross' disaster action team after a neighbor was involved in a serious fire.
Many members of her family had been firefighters, she said, and she joined the smoke alarm campaign because she saw what could happen if a family did not have functional smoke alarms in their home.
Manke, the Norwich deputy fire marshal, gave a guest presentation about smoke alarm installation at a monthly emergency services meeting for Red Cross volunteers Feb. 2.
Home visits usually begin with volunteers inspecting the home's layout to determine the best location for alarms, and Manke advised volunteers to install smoke alarms in common areas, inside or just outside bedrooms and at the base of the basement stairs.
Volunteers also test existing alarms and change batteries or replace the alarms as necessary.
Rochester-Bolen is also working with community leaders and the Norwich Fire Department for an install campaign in the spring.
Manke said at the meeting that Red Cross volunteers have almost always assisted at fires he has been to, and he cannot thank them enough.
"This is a huge thing for southeastern Connecticut that smoke detectors are going to be brought to the community," he said. "It's better to see (volunteers) there before than after."
Anyone who would like to schedule a home visit for a smoke alarm installation should call the Red Cross at (877) 287-3321, ext. 1 or go to www.redcross.org/local/ct/schedule-a-visit.
Twitter: @ahutch411
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