The Casa Grande Fire Department is looking for volunteers to install smoke detectors as part of the annual Smoke Detector Installation Program, to be held on Saturday, October 12, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Groups of volunteers will install smoke detectors/batteries in homes in the Rancho Grande, Rancho del Sol and Desert Valley subdivisions. Volunteers will be trained on how to properly install smoke detectors.
This is the 7th year the Casa Grande Fire Department has coordinated the event to increase awareness and provide education on smoke detector use and fire escape plans. Since the beginning of the program, volunteers have replaced nearly 5,000 smoke detectors in homes throughout the community.
Fire Marshal and event organizer Barbara Rice says, “Volunteers are what makes this program so successful. We hope to have lots of volunteers this year to help us spread the message that a properly installed and maintained smoke detector is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Statistics show that the majority of deaths due to fire in the home are the result of non-working or non-existent smoke detectors in the home. According to Rice, a smoke detector should be present in every bedroom, hallway and on every level (story) of a home and should be tested monthly. “If a resident is unable to reach a smoke detector, they can call us to replace or check their smoke detector for them,” she says.
This year volunteers are needed to install/replace batteries in over 700 homes in the Rancho Grande area. The Casa Grande Fire Department has identified the area as high-risk for fires, based on local statistics. Homes in the area range in age from the early 1980s to today.
The event this year is sponsored by American Family Insurance, Olive Garden, Frito Lay, AZ Burn Center, NativeAir and Lifestyles Magazine.
If you would like to volunteer for this event, please fill out an application form by visiting www.casagrandeaz.us/smoke-detector-install. For more information, contact Fire Marshal Barbara Rice at (520) 421-8777 Ext. 5989 or brice@casagrandeaz.gov.