SFD and Whitworth University improve fire safety for community

Michele Anderson, Public Safety Communications Manager

Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 3:28 p.m.

To raise awareness about campus and community fire safety, Spokane Fire Department, Red Cross and Whitworth University are partnering with First Alert, along with Campus Firewatch and the Michael H. Minger Foundation, to participate in the Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project.

As part of the Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project, Spokane Fire Department was chosen along with 24 other departments to host community events nationwide. Students will work alongside firefighters to conduct home safety visits and install the 2,500 smoke and CO alarms donated by First Alert in at-risk communities during the fall semester. Locally the team has a target of installing smoke alarms in 75-100 homes in the West Central Neighborhood on Saturday, October 13th.

“We are grateful for the support and resources provided by First Alert, Campus Firewatch and the Michael H. Minger Foundation to educate the community and students about fire safety and to properly equip homes with smoke alarms,” said Chief Brian Schaeffer of the Spokane Fire Department. “Ensuring everyone in our community has adequate protection from preventable incidents – such as home fires – helps us save lives.”

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a fire is reported every 24 seconds on average across the country and fire departments responded to 1.3 million fires in 2016. Three of every five home fire deaths result from fires in homes without smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms according to the NFPA. In fires where a smoke alarm was present, but did not operate, half of the alarms had missing or disconnected batteries.

“The Town/Gown Project promotes fire safety education and collaboration between students, fire departments, universities and their surrounding communities,” said Tarsila Wey, director of marketing for First Alert. “By partnering with Campus Firewatch and the Michael H. Minger Foundation, we are positively impacting the long-term safety for both the students and communities.”

To learn more about fire safety, visit the First Alert website at www.firstalert.com, the Campus Firewatch website at www.campus-firewatch.com or the Michael H. Minger Foundation at www.mingerfoundation.org. You also can follow the Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project on Twitter and Facebook via #TownGownFire.