Last week I was honored to sit amongst a room filled to the brim with Fire Chiefs, Fire Fighters, and other first response service men and women. We are all aware of the brave men and women who work so hard to keep our community safe, but to see their faces and hear their stories was inspiring.
The Second Annual Operation Save a Life event was held last week at the WSB-TV station to thank all of the participating counties that in North Georgia and give them a chance to pick up their donated smoke alarms. The room was filled with stacks and crates of the 5,000 smoke alarms donated by Kidde.
Chief Joel Baker, Atlanta Fire and Rescue, related a story about a smoke detector that was installed by one of his stations. That smoke alarm alerted a family that their house was on fire and they were able to quickly and safely escape. It was plain to see by the look of joy on his face why they do the job they do. We owe so much to these men and women.
If you are wondering what you can do for your local station house this holiday season, I have a suggestion. In addition to cookies you might bake, or those gift cards you might purchase, climb up on a ladder and check that your smoke alarm is functioning and not expired.
And if you can’t reach it? Or can’t afford to replace it? Call your local fire station. They will come out and check it for you and help you find a way to replace it. New data shows that newer homes burn faster and you have one to two minutes from the the start of the fire to get out of your home. Over time the sensing technology in smoke alarms can become less effective and it could take longer for them to detect smoke and they could fail completely. Research has shown that this begins to have a significant effect around the ten year time frame. It doesn’t matter if you push the test button and the alarm sounds. It still may not detect the smoke if it is older than ten years.
Please make sure to check your smoke alarms and if you need assistance, contact your local fire station. If you live in North Georgia and are in need here is a list of the counties participating and more information about Operation Save A Life, thanks to Kidde, The Home Depot, and Attorney Ken Nugent, can be found here.
Remember, this could save your life, and your family’s, and theirs.