Forsyth Fire Conducts Smoke Alarm Blitz

The Forsyth County Fire Department last month teamed up with Citizen Emergency Response Team members to conduct a smoke alarm blitz in the Hickory Hills community off Parks Road in northeast Forsyth County. 

The smoke alarm blitz on Nov. 15 offered residents in the Hickory Hills Road area an opportunity to have a member of Fire Department review the smoke alarms in their homes. For residents who were interested in participating, fire department personnel checked to ensure that there were at least two working smoke alarms in each home. If alarms were not installed or not working properly, they installed battery-operated alarms free of charge. Firefighters were also able to assist residents with changing the batteries in and testing existing smoke alarms. Personnel installed a total of 36 new smoke alarms, changed 18 batteries in already installed alarms and assisted in testing another six alarms. 

“The critical need for working smoke alarms throughout the home cannot be stressed enough,” Fire Chief Danny Bowman said in a press release. “That is why the Forsyth County Fire Department is proud to offer programs such as this that help to make our community a safer place.” 

The smoke alarm blitz was the department’s first and it plans to conduct additional such events in the future.

“Each year more than 3,000 people die in home fires in the United States,” said Forsyth County Fire Marshal Barry Head. “Most of these victims are in homes without a working smoke alarm. There is time to escape most house fires with an early warning from smoke alarms. They are effective, reliable and inexpensive.” 

For information about this initiative, call the Forsyth County Fire Department’s Public Safety Education Division at 770-781-2180.