Volunteers install smoke detectors in Red Cross effort

MARION – Dozens of local volunteers recently helped the Marion County chapter of the American Red Cross assist in protecting families from deaths and injuries that result from home fires.

Marion, Morrow and Delaware Red Cross volunteers, along with volunteers from the Tri-Rivers Career Center nursing program, Marion County Emergency Management Agency, Marion Y-Men and Pleasant Township Fire Department spent Saturday working to install new, working smoke alarms and replacing batteries in existing smoke alarms, a Red Cross news release states.

Volunteers installed 92 new smoke alarms and replaced dozens of batteries during the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign at Fountain Place Mobile Home Park, 3068 Marion-Waldo Road.

Pleasant Township Fire Chief Clint Canterbury said the installing of smoke detectors, each with a 10-year battery life, was invaluable and one that could not have taken place without the Red Cross’ Home Fire Preparedness Campaign, which with the help of corporate partners provided funding for the purchase of the smoke alarms and batteries.

“I can’t even describe the importance of it, just for fact ... these 10-year smoke detectors are expensive,” he said. “We would never be able to .afford those. ... And then to have the number of volunteers, the Y-Men, the Red Cross, all the volunteers help to do that. It truly was an amazing event that people came out and supported the cause.”

Fountain Place was chosen for the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign event because of the Feb. 17 fire that resulted in the death of 3-year old Brayden Blevins, the Red Cross said.

The Division of the State Fire Marshal continues to investigate the cause of the fire, division spokeswoman Lindsey Burnworth said, on Tuesday.

Canterbury said the fire began in the room where the victim was found. Local investigators ruled out criminal intent and await the fire marshal’s determination of a cause. He said during his inspection no smoke detectors were found in the home. The presence of working smoke detectors could have saved Blevins’ life or could have prevented injuries suffered by others in the fire.

He said that during the installation of the new smoke detectors on Saturday volunteers gathered information about the homes in the park that might assist firefighters in fighting any fires there in the future.

“I was amazed by the amount of homes that didn’t have a smoke detector or if it had them they didn’t have batteries,” he said.

Tom White, Red Cross public affairs volunteer, said the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign “was an example of the important work that can be accomplished when community organizations work together.” All Occasions Catering provided breakfast and lunch and Wendy’s provided water for the volunteers.

“The Marion Y-Men were in invaluable help, they performed the alarm installs in the homes and were really excited to be able to help with the project,” Whjte said.

A week ago, volunteers canvassed the park putting door hangers on each home to let the residents know volunteers would return a week later to install smoke alarms, test existing alarms and replace batteries if needed, the Red Cross release said.

Red Cross Executive Director Todd James said volunteers also conducted a safety survey and provided a home fire exit plan that could be put on the refrigerator.

“What was really great to hear was how many people had already purchased and installed their own alarms and checked and changed batteries since the February fire,” James said. “Fire isn’t just something that they’ve seen or heard others go through, it’s something that they’ve experienced in their own community and they are taking positive steps to make sure it doesn’t happen to them.”

This campaign will be the first of many that the Red Cross will conduct around Marion County as part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, the release states. The Red Cross’ goal is to reduce the number of home fire deaths in the United States by 25 percent within five years. Planning is already in progress for another canvassing project that will be conducted later this spring.

The campaign also is part of Project Prepare, a two-year initiative of the American Red Cross Ohio-Buckeye Region to train 500,000 Ohioans how to be better prepared for disasters and emergencies.

jjarvis@marionstar.com

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Twitter: @jmwjarvis