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Donation Will Help Provide Free Smoke Alarms for Springfield Families

Katy Warner
/
via Flickr

Springfield students whose families are in need of a smoke alarm will receive one thanks in part to a donation from the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield.

The organization announced Wednesday afternoon its intention to donate 400 of the devices to the Springfield Fire Department’s free smoke alarm program.

Department officials will be visiting kindergarten through 5th grade classes as part of October’s Fire Prevention Month. Surveys will be issued asking about a family’s smoke alarm inventory, and any family needing one will be contacted.

In a statement, Assistant Chief of Prevention Randy Villines said, "It is our goal to ensure every Springfield child lives in a home with smoke alarms on every floor, outside each sleeping area and in every bedroom. With the help of the generous donation of 400 smoke alarms from the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield, we will be able to provide smoke alarms for Springfield families at no charge."

The Springfield Fire Department estimates that more than half of the city’s homes have no working smoke alarm. This, despite the fact that having a working smoke alarm doubles your chances of surviving a fire. In fact, the combination of working smoke alarms and a residential sprinkler system nearly guarantee your survival in a fire. In Springfield, the fire death rate is more than double of that in the United States.

"The more alarms we install, the more we are able to chip away at the fire death rate," said Assistant Chief Villines. "Most importantly, they will help us promote safety in the homes of our most vulnerable citizens - our children."