Fire officials visited neighbors in Northeast Philadelphia to distribute the life-saving devices and offer fire safety guidance.
Fire crews went door to door in a neighborhood on the 15000 block of Wayside Road in the Somerton section of Philadelphia on Monday, installing smoke detectors and sharing fire safety information in an effort to prevent further tragedies.
To help prevent additional deaths, the Philadelphia Fire Department conducted door-to-door visits in neighborhoods such as Somerton that have experienced recent fatal fires. Crews provided fire prevention tips and installed smoke detectors in homes that needed them. "Today, unfortunately, we're here for a fire fatality blitz program. It's something the fire department started years ago, which is a response to fire fatalities in the community," said Brandon Wilson, a battalion chief with the Fire Prevention and Code Division. Wilson said there have been around eight fatal fires in the city so far this year. The department installed 10,000 smoke alarms last year and is on track to surpass that number this year. "The unfortunate trend in the city of Philadelphia and many other places is these people don't have working fire alarms, despite our best efforts of educating the community," Wilson said. During the outreach, fire crews also spoke with residents, answered questions and offered support to those coping with recent tragedies. Officials said they want to ensure families have the knowledge they need to stay safe and that homes are equipped with working smoke alarms. "Unfortunately, this week we have an awful lot of them scheduled due to the increase of fire deaths that we've had this year, which is unfortunately a little unprecedented but so is the weather," Wilson said. Residents who do not have a working smoke alarm can call 311 to request one. The fire department will install a smoke alarm at no cost.
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