SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County firefighters on Wednesday distributed and installed smoke detectors in a Sanford neighborhood after a recent fire badly damaged a home.
No one was injured in the blaze, which destroyed 60% of a home in the 1800 block of Harding Street.
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The home did not have any smoke detectors, according to the Seminole County Fire Department.
“In an effort to be proactive and educate residents on the importance of working smoke alarms, the Seminole County Fire Department will go door-to-door to distribute free smoke alarms and fire prevention education materials in the Sanford neighborhood of Lincoln Heights,” fire officials said in a news release.
Fire officials handed out devices in the community from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., distributing 10-year alarms with a lithium battery that won’t have to be replaced for a decade.
“It’s vitally important,” said Sharon Gregory, public information officer for Seminole County Fire Department. “Three out of five home fire deaths occur in homes that do not have working smoke alarms. That smoke alarm is going to be your first notification that there is a fire. When you hear that beeping, you want to get out quickly and stay out.”
Brenda Knight, who lives next door to the home that caught fire, had a smoke detector installed in her home.
“I found out that my neighbor had lost everything. It was pretty sad. I never thought that that would happen,” Knight said. “It’s just good to have a smoke detector. I think everybody should have smoke detectors in their homes.”
In addition, SCFD has over 450 free “bed shakers,” which alert those who are deaf or hard of hearing in the event a smoke alarm activates.
Last year, the Seminole County Fire Department distributed and installed over 5,700 smoke alarms as part of a federal grant.
For more information on how to stay safe in your community, learn more about the Seminole County Fire Department community outreach program by clicking here.
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