Importance of Smoke Alarms Stressed After Fatal Md. Fires

CUMBERLAND, Md. -- Smoke alarms save lives. Smoke alarms save lives. Smoke alarms save lives.

The message sounded loud and clear Wednesday at the Cumberland Public Safety Building where Mayor Brian Grim, Fire Chief Donnie Dunn and Maryland Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray addressed media representatives in the aftermath of the Jan. 20 fire on East Harrison Street that claimed the lives of two young sisters.

The Harrison Street residence was not equipped with working smoke alarms -- nor was a residence on Estella Street on Dec. 11 where three women died in an apparent accidental fire.

No working smoke alarms were present in a fire in a Midland duplex Nov. 2 that claimed the lives of a husband and wife.

No working smoke alarms were found in a second-floor apartment on Main Street in Frostburg where two people died in an accidental fire Dec. 3, 2010.

"None of these nine victims had the benefit of a working smoke alarm," said Mowbray. He said 10 people died in Maryland in 2011 in seven different fires in which no smoke alarms were present. Four more people died that year in separate structure fires where smoke alarms were present but did not operate. In 2010, 12 of 61 fire deaths in Maryland occurred where a smoke alarm was not present or did not operate.

"Our citizens can take several easy steps to protect themselves from becoming another victim," said Mowbray.

Installing smoke alarms on every level of your home, testing the alarms monthly and replacing with fresh batteries once a year were listed among steps citizens can take to protect their own lives and lives of loved ones and neighbors. Keeping smoke alarms clean and free of dust and replacing smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old was also recommended.

Developing and practicing a home fire escape plan, never leaving cooking or lit candles unattended, and making sure that smoking materials such as cigarettes and cigars are properly disposed were cited as sound fire safety measures.

Keeping lighters and matches out of reach of children is crucial, keeping combustibles away from space heaters and furnaces and properly maintaining heating devices also enhance fire safety.

But the fire marshal's office is doing more than talking.

"In response to these fatal fires, the Office of the State Fire Marshal has partnered with the Allegany County Health Department and the Department of Social Services to identify homes which their staff visit that may not have smoke alarms. These two agencies have an opportunity to visit clients and homes and discuss the need for smoke alarms. Within the past week, these agencies have already identified two homes which had no smoke alarms and arrangements have already been made to have several installed," said Mowbray.

Anyone who cannot afford a smoke alarm or who is physically unable to install one should contact a local fire department or the Cumberland office of the state fire marshal at 301-729-5021 to request a free alarm and installation.

In addition, smoke alarms are available for the hearing- and visually-impaired. The devices cost a couple of hundred dollars and typically are equipped with a loud horn and strobe light.

"We can't overemphasize the importance of working smoke detectors," said Dunn. He said his department provided 135 smoke alarms to city residents last year. When the supply was depleted, the state fire marshal's office stepped up to supply more detectors.

Tuesday, 60 smoke alarms was presented to the Cumberland Fire Department by Cumberland Firefighters Local 1715 President Ken McKenzie. A like number will be provided to the Western Region office of the state fire marshal by the Allegany County commissioners.

"Local 1715 and the fire department are considering beginning a fundraiser to ask local citizens and businesses to contribute to the future purchase of detectors to be distributed to those in need," said McKenzie.

In 2011, the Cumberland Fire Department responded to 39 structure fires. "Incredibly, 16 of those residences had no working smoke detectors," said Dunn. "Five of those 16 were only missing batteries. All of the fire-related casualties over this period were in residences that did not have working smoke detectors. There were no casualties in homes with working detectors.

"Tragedies like these recent fires remind us how vulnerable we are," said Dunn. "We must make people aware of the basic fire safety guidelines and stress the importance of having working smoke detectors. Smoke detectors do save lives."

Tuesday's event included a presentation of a $500 rapid fire response grant from Safe Kids Maryland and Safe Kids USA to the city fire department for purchase of smoke alarms. The grant was presented by Deputy State Fire Marshal Bruce Bouch.

Copyright 2012 - Cumberland Times-News, Md.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service