Smoke Alarm Checks Offered in Severn on Saturday

SEVERN, MD — Volunteers will fan out to Severn homes to check whether smoke alarms work properly and install new ones in houses from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 14.

Teams of Anne Arundel County Fire Department personnel and American Red Cross volunteers will speak with residents, educating them about fire safety and fire evacuation plans, and install smoke alarms in homes that are not properly equipped.

Fire department personnel and Red Cross volunteers will meet at the Severn Fire Station, 7870 Telegraph Road, before beginning a canvas of about 100 homes in an area bordered by Quarterfield Road and WB&A Road, the department said on its blog.

This neighborhood canvass coincides with the Maryland Fire Service Risk Reduction Weekend. May 14-15, 2016 has been selected as the Statewide Community Risk Reduction weekend with fire departments participating across Maryland. This program is an effort to provide fire safety education and install 10-year long-life battery-operated smoke alarms.

Working smoke alarms can mean the difference between life and death. According to the National Fire Protection Association, nearly 70 percent of fire deaths result from fires in homes with non-working smoke alarms or no smoke alarms at all.

The department says its goal is to ensure that residents understand the importance and value of fire safety in their lives and to help protect their quality of life by checking and installing new smoke alarms as needed. Chances of surviving a house fire are increased by 50 percent when working smoke alarms are activated during a fire.

The early notification of these devices provides a greater opportunity to escape the effects of fire. All smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years to help ensure these devices will operate properly when the need arises.

Residents who are in need of a smoke alarm can contact the Anne Arundel Fire Department directly at 410-222-8303 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to request a smoke alarm installation at their residence.