The Springfield News-Leader recently featured an editorial applauding an historic achievement by the Springfield Fire Department in 2011. On January 5, the local newspaper reminded readers of the department and City Council’s initiative a year ago to make 2011 the “Year of the Smoke Alarm.”
The Fire Department set the goal of installing 1,100 smoke detectors in the city, in those homes that are older and whose occupants are therefore statistically at far greater risk of fire death or injury. With help from the HBA of Greater Springfield – which donated 400 new smoke alarms toward the effort – the fire department more than doubled its goal. Here is an excerpt from the News-Leader editorial (for the full editorial, click here):
We congratulate the Springfield Fire Department and the community in surpassing the goal for installing new smoke alarms in 2011.
At the department’s urging, the City Council declared the “Year of the Smoke Alarm” in 2011 as part of a fire safety awareness campaign. A goal of 1,100 new alarms was set. As City Manager Greg Burris reports, the department “annihilated their goal” with the installation of 2,198 smoke alarms, 57 alarms for the hearing impaired and 2,330 batteries in homes within the city.
Well done.
The number of new alarms is especially impressive when you consider years prior to 2011. Our firefighters typically installed 400-450 a year. A recent high of 948 in 2005 has been left in the dust, or smoke.
And, again, we thank the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield for donating 400 smoke alarms to support the campaign.
This was not the first time the local media has acknowledged the HBA’s work to support area fire departments install life-saving smoke alarms in older homes. The Springfield News-Leader’s ‘Tis a Privilege feature highlighted the HBA donation back in May. And KY3 reported on the HBA’s similar support of the Republic Fire Department in October.