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“Get Alarmed, Tennessee” is an in-home fire safety education and smoke alarm installation campaign implemented in November 2012 by the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s office. As of May 12th, 2020, we are thrilled to announce that 300 Tennessee lives have been saved through our statewide campaign of installing smoke alarms. According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), smoke alarms provide an early warning of a fire, giving people additional escape time. In 2012-2016, smoke alarms were present in three-quarters of American homes (74%) and sounded in more than half (53%) of the home fires reported by U.S. fire departments. Three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with zero smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Therefore, having functioning smoke alarms in your home cuts your chances of perishing in a fire by half.

Ten years ago, Nashville and the surrounding areas were devastated by a flood whose magnitude will never be forgotten. As the floodwaters invaded Nashville, took lives, and damaged property and public infrastructure, we all watched with immense disbelief and sadness. Immediately following that, we pulled together, volunteered to help each other, and helped the city recover. With the recent series of tornadoes across Tennessee simultaneous with the spread of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we have again faced unbelievable sadness and devastation, but it seems that there is truly nothing that Tennesseans cannot face and eventually overcome.

I am sure that at the top of everyone’s mind right now is the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our lives. It feels like, in some ways, that our day-to-day routines have been brought to a grinding halt. However, with each day that passes, we realize that we are finding different ways to carry out our duties.