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Date: 5/22/2015
AGAWAM – The Agawam Fire Department has teamed up with American Red Cross to bring its national Home Fire Preparedness Campaign to the town.
The program provides the installation of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for eligible Agawam residents. The installations are sponsored by the Insurance Center of New England and will take place on June 15, 16 and 17.
To be eligible for the installation, residents must own their own home, have a home built before 1975 and have fire alarms that are 10 years or older or none at all.
Agawam Fire Chief Alan Sirois said it is crucial for homeowners to update smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries when needed.
“It is no question that smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors save lives. We respond to any number of carbon monoxide alarms in a calendar year,” he said. “Carbon monoxide alarms alert building occupants in a home. It is a colorless, odorless gas. If they weren’t functional, it would go undetected. It could be any number of lives lost.”
Not only does the campaign provide the tools for a safer environment, Sirois said it is in large part and educational experience, as well.
He said many people are unaware of the requirements for testing alarms and that alarms should be checked twice a year.
This will help residents become more aware of the best practices for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Though Sirois said there was no specific number the department is targeting for sign ups, he is encouraging as many eligible residents to sign up as possible.
“We’ll do installations for as many people that call us … We’ll keep taking sign ups until it’s done, and if we have to extend, we will do that, as well,” he said.
The goal for the national wide campaign is to reduce death and fires by 25 percent in the next five years, according to the American Red Cross press release about the program.
“It’s a program of value and it will potentially save lives in Agawam,” he said.
To sign up for an installation, contact the Agawam Fire Department by calling 786-0400, ext. 3501, or visiting between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. by June 12.