Free smoke-alarm program to continue

Dinwiddie County fire officials will continue to give away free smoke detectors as part of a state grant the county received that ends this month.

The Virginia Department of Health awarded Dinwiddie a "Get Alarmed, Virginia!" grant of $41,000 to pay for 3,000 detectors, tools to install them and fire-safety literature for the public.

The program has allowed fire officials and volunteers this year to conduct a fire-safety educational campaign in schools, buy safety advertising and distribute fire-escape plans.

Volunteers also have gone door to door offering and installing new detectors, Fire Marshal Tony Williams said. The program, which was to end in October, was extended until the end of the year.

Williams said he hopes residents who need a smoke alarm will contact the fire department before the end of the year.

So far, the department has given away nearly 1,000 of the 3,000 detectors available as part of the campaign, he said. Volunteers have surveyed more than 600 homes, of which at least 193 had nonworking smoke detectors; 77 homes had alarms with no batteries.

"This time of year everybody needs to be extra cautious," said Williams, noting that during the holidays, people do a lot of cooking and fires often originate in kitchens.

Holiday decorations, candles and portable heating devices also are considered factors for winter fires.

County building codes require a detector on each level of the house and in each bedroom, Williams said.

He said that even when the grant cycle ends this month, fire officials will continue to provide residents with working smoke detectors in their homes.
Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or .