According to the National Fire Protection Association, each year about 4,000 Americans die in home fires.
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The tests were a joint effort involving the Jersey Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Asbury Park Fire Department, the Asbury Park City Council and the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters at the Senior Center on Springwood Avenue.
“We have a home fire escape plan here”.
With a grant from Walmart the firefighters bought the smoke alarms and gave them out to celebrate Fire Safety Day.
Grand Rapids Fire Department Battalion Chief Todd VanderWall on scene told 24 Hour News 8 that the family in the house was alerted to the fire by an alarm that installed as a part of a program to provide residents with free smoke detectors.
“We want to make sure that people have the tools so that they can survive if a fire happens in their homes”, said Kelly. “We try to get them installed in the living areas because that’s the most important area to have them in”.
Crews put out the fire in about 20 minutes. Due to these horrific statistics, the American Red Cross in Indiana plans to install 5,000 smoke alarms over the next 12 months. “But after ten years the sensors that are inside the smoke detectors really don’t work”.
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Griffith said many people may not realize their smoke detectors are not working properly. The Red Cross has launched a nationwide campaign to reduce the number of home fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent over the next five years. “Sometimes they’re old but still working, so what we are trying to do is replace the older ones or the non-working ones”.
