A new program launched this week aims to install up to 6,000 smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms free of charge in the homes of high-risk residents throughout southern Maine.
A collaborative effort of Southern Maine Community College, the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office, the Maine Center on Deafness and fire departments in Scarborough and Falmouth, the life-saving devices will be paid for and installed using a $286,368 grant from the Federal Fire Prevention and Safety program.
“We are targeting older homes and those with young, elderly, and deaf or hearing-impaired family members,” said Steve Willis, faculty chair of the fire science program at SMCC. “We want people to know the keys to fire safety, which are prevention, preparation and escape. With this program we hope to help as many people as possible become more aware, more prepared, and as safe as possible.”
By calling 730-4298, residents can schedule a fire safety visit, provided on a first-come, first-serve basis by local fire departments or professionals from the Center on Deafness. In addition to replacing batteries in existing alarms with special lithium batteries good for 10 years, safety inspectors also will install free “state-of-the-art” smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in each bedroom and at each level of a home, as well as provide fire safety information and guidance.
For homes with family members who may be deaf or hard of hearing, inspectors will install special tactile alerting devices, called “pillow shakers.” Hardwired to a home’s electrical system, the special alarms vibrate and flash a bright light in a strobe effect to alert residents who would not hear a standard smoke alarm.
A recent survey by the National Fire Protection Association found that while 96 percent of U.S. homes have smoke detectors, nearly half of them did not work. Given changes in furnishings and construction materials, the NFPA has found that fires now spread much more quickly. The association estimates that escape time from a house fire has decreased from 17 minutes in 1975 to just 3 minutes today.
According to the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office, 160 people died in fires in the state between 2002 and 2011. Ninety percent of those deaths occurred in the home and most during sleeping hours.
The new program, which will last for one year, hopes to change these statistics.
Duke Harrington
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