WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — The Washington Fire Department is offering free smoke alarms to Fayette County homeowners who need one, with priority given to residents on fixed incomes, as part of a home safety campaign focused on the county’s senior population.
Fire Chief Chris Wysong, Fire Chief Emeritus Tim Downing and Ohio Fire Safety Educator Shawn Whitt spent this week walking the Fayette County Fairgrounds, stopping at picnic tables and food vendors to talk one-on-one with residents about smoke alarm upkeep and home escape routes, the department said in a Facebook post. The stop is part of Project Safe Senior, an outreach effort the department said it is building in partnership with the Ohio Department of Commerce’s State Fire Marshal Prevention Bureau.
The fairgrounds visit follows the campaign’s kickoff July 10, when the same trio visited the Fayette County Commission on Aging. The nonprofit agency, based on South Elm Street in Washington Court House, serves county residents 60 and older through congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, transportation and other supportive services aimed at helping seniors remain in their own homes.
The department said the conversations at both stops have surfaced recurring gaps in home fire safety. Some residents keep smoke alarms and fire extinguishers in working order, officials said, while others didn’t know a smoke alarm is only rated to function for 10 years from its manufacture date. Others acknowledged pulling a chirping alarm’s battery to silence a low-battery warning and never replacing it, leaving the alarm dead.
Officials also said most people never test the second escape route from their homes, even though the “two ways out” rule is taught starting in grade school. As residents age and move more slowly, and as house fires burn faster than they used to, a secondary path — a window or back door — may not work as smoothly as expected in an emergency, the department said. Officials are encouraging residents to check whether a window actually opens, whether a step stool is needed to clear the sill, and whether a second door is unobstructed.
The free smoke alarms are available to residential homeowners in Fayette County, with priority given to those on fixed incomes. The department said supply is limited, so alarms will be installed in locations chosen to provide the best coverage for each home rather than distributed on a first-come basis.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Washington Fire Department.
