May 10--DURHAM -- "Put your best foot forward" and "only working smoke alarms save lives" are messages the Durham Fire Department and the Durham Center for Senior Life will use to get seniors to remember and practice fire prevention and fall safety tips during group presentations this month.
According to Fire Marshal Edward Reid, the two agencies have joined forces to maximize the number of working smoke alarms in homes and reduce the number of slips and falls seniors experience. "We recognize the need to inform and educate senior adults about fire prevention and falls safety," said Reid. "Teaming up with the Durham Center for Senior Life allows us an extra opportunity to target seniors and reach them in the environment where many of these incidents are likely to occur, which is in the home."
The National Fire Protection Association's Remembering When program is designed to reach older adults. According to the group, adults 65 and older are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires and 30 percent of people 65 and older are involved in falls each year, with some falls resulting in death.
The team will deliver five educational presentations, set to begin Wednesday and end May 23. Each presentation will begin at 10 a.m. The presentations are free and free smoke alarms will be installed for participants in need. Dates and locations for the presentations are:
--Wednesday, Maplewood Square, 1520 Chapel Hill Road
--Thursday, Little River, 8305 N. Roxboro Road
--Wednesday, May 21, West Baptist, 1901 Athens St.
--Thursday, May 22, W.D. Hill, 1308 Fayetteville Road
--Friday, May 23, Durham Center for Senior Life, 406 Rigsbee Ave., Suite 202
Seniors interested in attending should sign up by contacting Public Education Coordinator Sierra Mckoy with the Durham Fire Department at (919) 560-4233 ext. 19242 or by email at [email protected], or by contacting Benefits and Programs Specialist Tonya Johnson with the Durham Center for Senior Life at 919-688-8267 ext. 109 or by email at [email protected].
Copyright 2014 - The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.
