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NYSAFC Smoke Alarm Installation Project a Huge Success
20 fire departments throughout New York recently participated in NYSAFC’s Smoke Alarms For Older Adults Project. This initiative, funded through a FEMA Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S) grant award, was the third smoke alarm installation and fire safety education project coordinated by NYSAFC utilizing FEMA funding within the past five years.
The current initiative allowed 3,162 smoke alarms to be installed in the homes of older adults aged 65-plus. Participating fire departments implemented a variety of population-specific promotional techniques to publicize the availability of smoke alarms within their communities. Some projects collaborated with local aging services organizations to promote and conduct the project.
Fire departments also used the project to provide fire safety education tailored specifically to the recipient homes’ unique needs and the residents’ risk factors and risk behaviors. For example, one chief reported that participating in the NYSAFC project allowed his firefighters to discover that a resident was a hoarder; subsequently, the department encouraged the resident’s family to remove some of the items from the home to reduce the risk firefighters would face in the event of a fire in the home.
Participating sites for the 2015-2016 project included: Berne Fire District, Cortland Fire Department, Fishers Fire Department, Gates Fire District, Hartsdale Fire Department, Henrietta Fire District, Hornell Fire Department, Knox Volunteer Fire Company, Kripplebush Lyonsville Fire Company, Niagara Falls Fire Department, Niskayuna Fire District #1, Oneida Fire Department, Orient Fire Department, Oriskany Fire Department, Perth Volunteer Fire Company, Rochester Fire Department, Syracuse Fire Department, Thomas Corners Fire Department, Watertown Fire Department, and West Crescent Fire District.
NYSAFC will conduct a post-installation evaluation in the upcoming months. This evaluation will allow the association to assess the continued presence and functionality of the installed smoke alarms, as well as indicate if the alarms activated to warn of a smoke and/or fire situation. NYSAFC plans to conduct similar smoke alarm installation projects in the future.
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New York State Association of Fire Chiefs www.nysfirechiefs.com |
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