In what has become an annual event, Gainesville firefighters Thursday morning began canvassing several neighborhoods in the city, distributing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
This year's blitz took place along West Avenue, Rainey Street and Oak Street, according to Gainesville Fire Department Division Chief Keith Smith.
Smith said the idea is to be proactive with fire safety, since the so-called 'busy season' for firefighters is imminent.
"We're coming up on Thanksgiving where everybody's going to be cooking and of course, right behind that is Christmas where everybody's cooking again," Smith said, noting that the number one cause of house fires is careless cooking.
The cooler weather is another reason to make sure smoke detectors are working.
"People start using space heaters, they start using their central heat and then fireplace [use] will start picking up more," Smith said.
In a smoke alarm blitz, firefighters go door-to-door, asking residents for permission to look at smoke alarms in each home. Smith said they first check to make sure the home has an adequate number of alarms. If alarms are already present, they make sure the alarms are installed correctly and that they have batteries. Then, if they resident has time, the firefighters will give them some general fire safety tips.
"We're going to talk with them about everyday fire safety, cooking fire safety, holiday fire safety - as much time as they'll let us, we'll hang around and talk with them, make sure they know what to do," Smith said.
He said it's surprising how little some people know not just about smoke alarms, but also about how to escape a fire when one does occur. Smith said he's seen incidents where people will return to a burning building to retrieve possessions or a pet and wind up with severe injuries.
The smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors that the fire department distributes are free of charge to residents, according to Smith.
