CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Firefighters with Clarksville Fire Rescue, members of the Tennessee State Fire Marshall’s Office and American Red Cross of Tennessee River volunteers took to the streets of Clarksville Thursday, July 30 to help make many homes in the city safer from fire.
It was part of “Get Alarmed Tennessee” as close to 50 volunteers went door to door in the New Providence area hoping to make over 200 free smoke alarms available to homes on Shelby, Cave, Adkins and Maple Streets.
Clarksville Fire Rescue Fire Marshall Ray Williams said the smoke alarms are being handed out in areas with older homes which did not have smoke alarms in them when they were originally built. Williams added that two children recently died in a house fire on Shelby Street that touched everyone.
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Deputy Commissioner Gary West with the Tennessee State Fire Marshall’s Office talked about the effort. “Our mission is to install as many smoke alarms as we can. Smoke alarms save lives and provides early detection of fires. Across Tennessee we have been involved with installing over 100,000 alarms as well as saving over 100 lives,” said West.
Sarah Basel with the Tennessee Region of the American Red Cross said the organization is in their second year of a five year campaign called the “Home Fire” campaign with a goal of reducing the number of injuries and deaths from house fires by 25 percent.
The volunteers broke up into teams and branched out knocking on doors to hand out and many times install the smoke alarms. As the volunteers spoke with residents they also shared important information about fire safety.
One resident on Maple Street, Eric Cotnoir, was pleased with what the volunteers were doing for the neighborhoods. “I just feel that’s it great you all are out in the community doing something,” said Cotnoir.