Wichita Fire Department launches "Project Smoke Alarm"

October 06, 2011|By Melody Pettit | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) — The Wichita Fire Department launches a new initiative aimed at raising awareness of smoke alarms.

Project Smoke Alarm is designed to reduce fire fatalities by providing 300 free smoke alarms and 500 batteries to homeowners who do not currently have a working smoke alarm.

This year, the Wichita Fire Department says six Wichitan died in house fires. That's more than the national average for comparable city sizes.

Smoke alarms were either not present or did not function in three of the house fires including the September 18 fire that killed a teenage girl.

Nationwide, fire officials say more than 66 percent of home fire deaths occurred when a working smoke alarm was not present.

"We can reduce and eliminate these fires and deaths with the simple act of installing a smoke alarm," Mayor Carl Brewer said. "I want to thank Wichita’s Bravest and its partners for leading on this important public safety initiative."

The WFD is partnering with the Safe Kids Coalition, Scholfield Automobile Dealerships and Interstate All Battery Center to provide the smoke alarms and batteries. Firefighters will install them for free beginning on Monday, Oct. 17. Residents should call the Wichita Fire Prevention Division at 268-4441 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to schedule an appointment. Firefighters will also test existing smoke alarms for residents.

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