The Champaign Fire Department has organized a “Smoke Alarm Blitz” in the neighborhood of a recent fire fatality. On Saturday, February 18, 2017, Fire Department crews will be going door-to-door in the Swigart Street neighborhood offering to check smoke alarms and installing free smoke alarms in homes that need them.
The Smoke Alarm Blitz will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the 500 block of Swigart Street. Fire Chief Gary Ludwig will open the event by delivering a few words describing the urgency of having working smoke alarms.
The tragic fire that occurred at 503 Swigart Street on February 10, 2017, serves as a reminder that smoke alarms save lives. Fire Investigators found no working smoke alarms in that residence. Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a significant role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), roughly 3 out of 5 fire deaths happen in homes without any smoke alarms or alarms that were not working. Know the sound of the smoke alarm. If the smoke alarm sounds, get out and stay out.
Media Contact: Randy Smith, Deputy Fire Marshal
Phone: (217) 403-7212 / Cell: (217) 840-9434