Free Smoke Alarms for Dearborn, Melvindale Residents

DEARBORN, MI – Beginning Monday, Feb. 8, members of the Dearborn Fire Department will install free smoke alarms in the homes of Dearborn and Melvindale residents.

The smoke alarm installation program was funded by a competitive federal grant, and while the supply lasts, smoke alarms will be installed free in any owner-occupied household, regardless of income.

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They can’t be installed in rental properties, the city said in a news release, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Under the rules of the program, the smoke alarms can’t just be handed over to residents to install themselves. They must be installed by the fire department or its community partners. To make an appointment, call (313) 943-2134.

Properly installed and working smoke alarms have been shown to drastically reduce the chance of dying in a house fire.

“We are doing this because we know it will save lives,” Dearborn Fire Chief Joe Murray said in a news release. “Sadly, over the past three years, our department has responded to four fatal fires in houses that didn’t have smoke detectors.”

Three in five fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke detectors, he said.

“This reflects our commitment to make sure our residents will have enough warning and not become victims,” he said.

Murray said many homes in Dearborn and Melvindale do not have smoke alarms or their alarms are past the recommended 10-year life expectancy and need to be replaced.

The department will be installing smoke alarms that are powered by lithium batteries, designed to last 10 years.

Rental properties do not qualify for this program because under the City of Dearborn Building Codes, they are required to have working alarms already. If people living in rental properties believe there are no working smoke alarms, they should call (313) 943-2134 and report this life safety violation.