Look to Local Businesses to Help Start a Smoke Detector Program

While smoke detectors are not actually fire prevention, they are a very important part of life safety. Any company, no matter how big or small, can start a smoke detector program.

In 2012, our fire company reached out to local businesses and raised enough money to give a smoke detector to every student (146 of them) in our kindergarten through fifth grade elementary school. A couple of years later, the elementary school in our fire district closed and was merged with a larger school.

We continued to teach various fire prevention and life safety lessons every month and the students knew about testing the smoke detectors monthly and how many they should have in their home.

However, each time we asked if anyone did not have a smoke detector, a few hands would go up. Thinking we didn’t have the resources for the now almost 600 students, we kept saying “someday” we would have enough smoke detectors to give out again.

Then the worst happened. A house fire occurred with only one smoke detector found in the home and five lives were lost. The businesses from our area and surrounding areas were so supportive and generous that we were able to set up a community giveaway in three locations: Durham, Greenville and Cairo. We were able to give out 460 detectors on May 19, 2018.

At the Greene County Youth Fair, another 650 detectors were given out. This program has been so well received, additional support has been offered and instead of waiting years, we will continue to help protect as many residents as possible.