500+ lives saved by state-installed smoke alarms

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – For the last 12 years, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) and fire departments across the state have saved 500 families by installing smoke alarms.

Since its inception in 2012, the grant-funded state program called ‘Get Alarmed Tennessee’ has distributed over 306,277 smoke alarms to state fire departments, more than 80% of which they installed.

Kevin Walters, communications director for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI), said having a working smoke alarm in your home can be the difference between life and death.

The device uses detection technologies that sense the particles in the air, sounding an alarm once it reaches a certain amount.

“Unfortunately, most fire fatalities occur at night when people are sleeping and they don’t wake up,” said Kevin Walters with the TDCI. “What a working smoke alarm does is it wakes up everyone in the house so they have time to get up and get out and make their escape.”

According to the National Fire Protection Association , the risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.

“A working smoke alarm gives you the opportunity to save the life of not only you and your family members, but you can also save the life of the emergency responder who’s going to be going to your house in the event of a fire,” Walters said.

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

If you have a college student living in a home away from home, like an apartment or dorm, the Center for Campus Fire Safety shares the following fire safety advice:

1. Make sure your sleeping room has working smoke detectors
2. Plan to survive … know two ways out of your room
3. Have food on hand that doesn’t require cooking. Cooking when you’ve had too much to drink increases the chance you’ll make a mistake or start a fire.
4. Buy flameless candles. They come in all sizes, colors and scents.
5. Make sure you know and practice a fire escape plan.
6. Talk with your roommates and determine a safe place to meet outside in case of a fire.
7. Clear exits/hallways/stairs. In case of a fire, you’ll need to leave quickly
8. Clean the dryer lint trap before and after each use. Help keep dryers safe.
9. Leave quickly when the fire/smoke alarm sounds. Spending time retrieving items increases your chances of being trapped. Leave everything and GO.
10. Friends keep friends safe from fire-related hazards.

Walters said his team is looking forward to continuing to educate and support Tennesseeans for many years to come.

You may request a free smoke alarm through the state’s Get Alarmed Tennessee program if you meet the following conditions:

• You do not already have working smoke alarms in your home.
• The smoke alarms in your home are more than 10 years old.
• You reside on the property in which you are requesting alarms.
• The home is not new construction (new residential construction is ineligible for the program).

Click here to request a smoke alarm from the SFMO.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.