The State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) is on a mission to prevent home fire deaths in Tennessee! Using grant funds awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the SFMO purchased 20,000 smoke alarms to be distributed to fire departments and installed in at-risk homes across the state beginning in November 2012.

You can view the progress of this program by accessing this map of smoke alarm installations. (updated May 13, 2013)

In order to receive these 10-year battery smoke alarms, fire departments needed to send a representative(s) to the SFMO’s train-the-trainer course on smoke alarm installation. Fire departments that did not have the resources to install the alarms, were encouraged to present the training course to civic/church/community service groups in their area and designate a portion of their alarm supply to that group for installation within the community. It is important to note that the goal of this program was not to simply hand out alarms, but to install the devices in homes in need across the state.

The majority of the alarms from this grant have been distributed, but plans are in the works to continue the program with future grant funds. If your department is interested in participating in the state’s Get Alarmed program, please contact Claire Marsalis with the State Fire Marshal’s Office at 615-532-5847 or claire.marsalis@tn.gov. Members of the public interested in smoke alarm installations should contact their local fire department, as many of these departments may still have smoke alarms available through this program.

Working smoke alarms save lives and the State Fire Marshal’s Office wants all Tennesseans to have these life-saving devices in their homes. To learn more about the importance of having smoke alarms in all homes, click here.

We look forward to partnering with all of our local fire departments to reduce fire fatalities in Tennessee!

Resources for Participating Fire Departments

• Get Alarmed Tennessee Planning Guide
• Fire Department Success Stories
• Smoke Alarm Installation Report Form
• Tennessee Fire Mortality Map