Many Tecumseh residents now have a step-up on surviving a house fire thanks to donated smoke alarms being installed by the Tecumseh Fire Department and the Pottawatomie County Health Department.
The two departments announced last week that a grant through a federal agency and a state agency has provided them with 750 new smoke alarms. The project is an effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s Injury Prevention Services to increase the number of working smoke alarms in Tecumseh homes.
“Our goal is to provide as many smoke alarms as possible,” Tina R. Johnson, administrative director for the Pottawatomie County Health Department, said in a press release. “We know that fire-related deaths and injuries could be prevented if homes had working smoke alarms.”
Tecumseh Fire Department Assistant Chief Aaron Williams and several volunteers began installing the smoke alarms in homes Saturday morning. The crew went door-to-door, beginning in the city’s Sleepy Hollow edition, and spent about two hours contacting residents about the program.
“We installed over 130 of them, and left notices on 100-plus homes,” Williams said.
The Sleepy Hollow edition has about 300 homes, Williams said. The crew moved from there to a senior citizen housing edition on Eula Brown Circle, and then contacted residents on Linda Lane and Debbie Street.
The department still has several smoke alarms to be installed.
“We’ve got an abundant amount,” Williams said. He encourages anyone in need of a smoke alarm who resides in the Tecumseh Fire Department’s 53-mile service radius to call for more information. Inquiries can be made by calling 598-2222, or 598-4303 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Williams said he hopes to put all of the donated smoke alarms to use.
“If we run a house fire, we hope to run across (an alarm) that’s alerted the residents,” he said.
Williams said the department keeps track of all information on house fires, including whether the house was equipped with a working smoke alarm. Since Jan. 1, the Tecumseh Fire Department has responded to 27 house fires, and of those only eight were confirmed to have a working smoke alarm.
“This project is critical to the health and safety of our residents,” Williams said. “This issue is serious.”
Williams said many people believe the misconception that the smell of smoke will wake them and alert them to a house fire.
“Smoke actually puts you in a deeper sleep,” Williams said. “Without a smoke detector, it’s virtually impossible to know that your house is on fire.”
Williams said he and the volunteers working on Saturday’s installation efforts received positive feedback. Many of the homes they visited did not have a smoke alarm, while some had smoke alarms with no batteries.
“Everyone was very appreciative. They were happy we were there,” he said.
Williams said the donated smoke alarms are not given to residents. The alarms, which work off of a 10-year lithium battery, must be installed by a firefighter. The alarms are installed outside sleeping areas on all levels of a home.
Williams said the Tecumseh Fire Department appreciates the opportunity this program has provided to bring smoke alarms to the city’s residents, and he is grateful for the efforts of the volunteers helping with the installations.
“We thank all the volunteers that helped,” he said. “It would’ve taken a lot longer if we hadn’t had those volunteers come out and help us.”
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Jason Smith may be reached at 214-3932.
