SFMO Partners with Memphis Fire, Red Cross for Free Smoke Alarm Event Oct. 8

NASHVILLE –The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) joins the Memphis Fire Department and the Mid-South Chapter of the American Red Cross in coordinating a free smoke alarm installation event in Memphis on Saturday, October 8, 2016. The partnership project is part of the SFMO’s “Get Alarmed, Tennessee!” program which aims to prevent fire deaths by providing smoke alarms to fire departments and community service organizations.

During Saturday’s event, crews will target homes in the Berclair neighborhood with smoke alarm installations, while also educating residents on crucial fire safety topics. The canvass comes on the heels of a September 12, 2016 house fire that claimed the lives of 10 Memphis residents, seven of which were children. The incident was the deadliest home fire in Memphis since the 1920s, and the deadliest residential fire in the state since a 2006 Evensville fire claimed the lives of nine people.

“We join Memphis Fire and the Red Cross in this proactive effort to prevent loss of life from fire,” said State Fire Marshal and Commerce & Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak. “Smoke alarms are proven lifesavers and a crucial component to a fire-safe home.”

Since the “Get Alarmed” program’s inception in 2012, the SFMO has distributed over 122,000 smoke alarms throughout Tennessee to more than 475 partnering organizations. Smoke alarms distributed through the program are credited with saving 147 Tennesseans from fire danger so far, including 38 people in the Memphis area.

Tennesseans in need of a smoke alarm can utilize the SFMO’s online alarm form to request a free installation.

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