The Overton County Fire Chiefs Association is offering free smoke detectors to residents in East Clay, Overton County, and the Taylor Crossroads area.
Livingston Fire Chief Rocky Dial said fire departments throughout the county will offer these smoke detectors through a partnership with the Tennessee Fire Marshall’s Office. Dial said the association is offering the free detectors after two recent house fires in the county caused the tragic deaths of multiple children.
“We just thought you know, this would be a good time to, with that happening and the colder weather, to push the effort to get the smoke alarms out there and make all these people aware of the dangers and everything, and try to help them with getting these detectors,” Dial said.
Dial said the great thing about the free smoke detectors is that they will last ten years. Dial said smoke detectors are crucial and can one day save your life.
“There are proven facts that they do help save lives, you know, by alerting the occupants earlier and giving them more time to escape the residence in the event of a fire,” Dial said.
Dial said the detectors will only be free if local firefighters install them. Dial said people often have issues with smoke detectors.
“Either installing them improperly or placing them in the wrong locations of the residence, or you know, we have seen them still sitting in the boxes, you know, where they have bought them, and they didn’t have the equipment to put them up with or something,” Dial said. “And they say, ‘Well, I’ll get to it tomorrow and tomorrow never comes.'”
Dial said smoke detectors should be installed in basements, hallways, and every sleeping area of a house.
Residents can apply for free smoke detectors and installation online or by contacting their local fire department. Fire Departments will be installing smoke detectors for residents on Monday and Tuesday. Dial said it is still not too late to request free smoke detectors.
