Assistance With Smoke Detectors-What Does Your Department Do?

[x635 4,066]

I'm wondering how important smoke detectors and customer service are to some deparments.

If a resident has trouble with a smoke detector, it's beeping and they don't know why, they can't reach it, etc will your department go out to help them? Do you advertise or make it known your department will do this?

If you go to a home for an EMS call and notice no smoke detectors, do you offer to put one up for free?

[Guest alsfirefighter]

PSA's for us stress for any detector which is emitting an alarm or sound and they aren't sure what it means to call.

As far as putting up a smoke detector...no...we will make the verbal recommendation...however...in today's society there is always that risk of liability in the event the detector does not operate correctly and one wants to claim it was the installation. Rare if you follow the directions as they are clear on what not to do...but we know how that goes

[PFDRes47cue 653]

My department up at school helps the community with smoke detectors all the time. We advertise that community members can come to the fire house and get smoke detectors at no cost to them. usually they take them to instal them themselves but if needed, we would do so. St. Lawrence County actually just got a grant (I believe it was a grant) based on the low incomes in the county and tough financial situations to outfit entire houses with smoke detectors if the household qualifies. If the household qualifies, we go to the house and install smoke detectors in all of the necessary locations at no cost to the home owner.

In my experience, every little bit yo do for the community looks great for the department and word spreads. It is such an easy way to keep the tax payers on your side.

[fire 1 asst chief 49]

YES, YES & YES

[STAT213 332]

Absolutely we will go help a homeowner with their detector. We exist to help people. Period. They call us for help, we go. It may not be the sexiest part of the job, but be nice and people remember it!

I saw a great mission statement online recently. "Our mission is...to help."

[abaduck 123]

In the UK, I understand, firefighters spend a fair bit of time and effort installing smoke detectors, especially for the vulnerable - elderly and disabled. Way to go as far as I'm concerned.

I also note 4 replies to this thread, versus 29 to the 'parades' thread... *rolls eyes*

Mike

[Guest alsfirefighter]

In the UK, I understand, firefighters spend a fair bit of time and effort installing smoke detectors, especially for the vulnerable - elderly and disabled. Way to go as far as I'm concerned.

I also note 4 replies to this thread, versus 29 to the 'parades' thread... *rolls eyes*

Mike

Glad I'm not the only one who thought that.

[GBFD111 73]

During fire prevention week, a deliver guy from domino's rides with us and we deliver pizza to houses. If they have a working smoke detector in their house, the pizza is free. If not, they have to pay for the pizza, although we give them a free smoke detector.

[sueg 77]

I'm wondering how important smoke detectors and customer service are to some deparments.

If a resident has trouble with a smoke detector, it's beeping and they don't know why, they can't reach it, etc will your department go out to help them? Do you advertise or make it known your department will do this?

If you go to a home for an EMS call and notice no smoke detectors, do you offer to put one up for free?

My Department Chief very much wants to initiate a smoke detector/CO detector program. He would like to have a couple of them and spare batteries on the engines, especially since we now have the batteries from the Duracell campaign, and in light of the Stamford fire fatalities, but there is not much voiced enthusiasm from some of the Line Officers yet, which might mean it will not get past the BOD to purchase some to put on the engines and start making it a regular thing to tell the resident their smoke detector or CO detector needs to be replaced (or just the batteries), and actually hand them something so it will be done. Of course, we would probably have to put it up on the wall, too, (or in the detector) because we have had instances on the EMS side where we walk out and the File of Life is exactly where we put it down in the house when we come back the next time (at which point I fill it out for them and hang it on the refrigerator). We do go to houses to check beeping detectors. I need to ask for permission from some Officers before seeing if we can at least put batteries near the Officer's seat in the engine - the "Liability" spectre has unluckily already been raised in my Company, and I already have gotten in trouble for letting people know about classes and drills "without permission" (long, sad story -Damocles sword swinging over head even now ).

I did think it was fantastic when Sherman VFD came out on a mutual aid EMS call to us last year and noticed the smoke detector in the patient's house was beeping, then produced 9-volts to replace the batteries - and that was from the ambulance crew. It could happen, but may take some time.

Last year there was an article about a southern city that had been doing a free smoke detector program for at least three years, then found out the supplier was selling them counterfeits from China, and they are now trying to replace all of the ones (thousands) they had given out and/or installed with UL legal ones that actually work. That is one thing that scares me - they had a bogus UL rating label on it, so if we buy a large quantity, how do we know they are REAL? Where can a Department with a limited budget get enough CO and smoke detectors to keep the program going and people safe? Our Chief would love to do it, and it would be nice, especially for the older residents with limited budgets themselves.

Edited February 21, 2012 by sueg

[x635 4,066]

Excellent post, sueg.

As far as putting up a smoke detector...no...we will make the verbal recommendation...however...in today's society there is always that risk of liability in the event the detector does not operate correctly and one wants to claim it was the installation. Rare if you follow the directions as they are clear on what not to do...but we know how that goes

So, if an elderly or disabled person called your fire department, and asked for help with their smoke detector, how does your department handle it? If they need their battery changed and can't reach their detector, then what?

As far as liability, so what? You can get sued for anything. Err in the favor of service. I would think it would be more of a liability if someone asked for your department's help with a smoke detector and was denied, and then died because your department wasn't willing to help.

Any department should be willing at any time to assist citizens with fire prevention and life saving devices in any capacity.