Fire Department and Red Cross to Conduct Smoke Alarm Outreach in Severn Area

Fire Department and Red Cross to Conduct

Smoke Alarm Outreach in Severn Area

MILLERSVILLE, MD – Members of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department and volunteers from the American Red Cross of the Greater Chesapeake Region will conduct a smoke alarm and fire safety outreach campaign in the Severn community tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Teams of fire department personnel and American Red Cross volunteers will speak with residents, educating them about fire safety and fire evacuation plans, and install smoke alarms in homes that are not properly equipped.

Fire department personnel and Red Cross volunteers will meet at the Severn Fire Station, located at 7870 Telegraph Road, before beginning a canvas of approximately 100 homes in an area bordered by Quarterfield Road and WB&A Road.

This neighborhood canvass coincides with the Maryland Fire Service Risk Reduction Weekend. May 14-15, 2016 has been selected as the Statewide Community Risk Reduction weekend with fire departments participating across Maryland.  This program is an effort to provide fire safety education and the installation of 10-year long-life battery operated smoke alarms.

Working smoke alarms can mean the difference between life and death.  According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), nearly 70% of fire deaths result from fires in homes with non-working smoke alarms or no smoke alarms at all.

Our goal is to ensure that citizens understand the importance and value of fire safety in their lives and to help protect their quality of life by checking and installing new smoke alarms as needed.  Chances of surviving a fire in your home are increased by 50% when working smoke alarms are activated during a fire. The early notification of these devices provides a greater opportunity to escape the effects of fire.  All smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years to help ensure these devices will operate properly when the need arises.

Residents who are in need of a smoke alarm can contact the Anne Arundel Fire Department directly at 410-222-8303 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to request a smoke alarm installation at their residence.