COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – The Red Cross teamed up with Columbus Fire and EMS to combat the increase in house fires.
Fire officials say majority of home fires result from faulty smoke alarms or not having one at all.
Over 30 volunteers knocked door to door along multiple streets offering smoke alarms and educating the public.
Today's event highlighted the importance of early detection.
The department used local data pulled from heat maps… and were able to see the fire activity in Columbus on an annual basis to determine the homes that needed smoke alarms.
They were able to install 95 new smoke alarms.
"On a nationwide average, You have two minutes and 12 seconds to get out of your home," said Columbus Fire Marshall Division Chief, John Shull. "So you can imagine if you're sleeping at night, you may wake up a minute and 30 seconds into the fire. The fire has already developed. That doesn't give you that much time to get out. That early warning, that early alert is so important."
According to the National Fire Protection Association, the risk of dying in reported home structure fires is 55 percent lower in homes with working smoke alarms than in homes without working smoke alarms.
If you need a smoke alarm you can visit the Columbus Fire and EMS department website or call 706-653-3500.
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