FCFD conducts 'smoke alarm blitz'

CUMMING - The Forsyth County Fire Department recently teamed up with
Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) members to conduct a smoke alarm blitz in the Hickory Hills community.

The smoke alarm blitz offered residents in the Hickory Hills Road area an opportunity to have a member of Fire Department review the smoke alarms in their homes.

For residents who were interested in participating, personnel checked to ensure that there were at least two working smoke alarms in each home. If alarms were not installed or not working properly, they installed battery-operated alarms free of charge.

They were also able to assist residents with changing the batteries in and
testing existing smoke alarms. Personnel installed a total of 36 new smoke alarms, changed 18 batteries in already installed alarms and assisted in testing another six alarms.

"The critical need for working smoke alarms throughout the home cannot be stressed enough," Fire Chief Danny Bowman said. "That is why the Forsyth County Fire Department is proud to offer programs such as this that help to make our community a safer place."

"Each year more than 3,000 people die in home fires in the United States," said Fire Marshal Barry Head. "Most of these victims are in homes without a working
smoke alarm. There is time to escape most house fires with an early warning from smoke alarms. They are effective, reliable and inexpensive."

The smoke alarm blitz conducted November 15 was the department's first and more are planned in other parts of the county.

For information about this initiative, call the Forsyth County Fire Department's Public Safety Education Division at 770.781.2180.