FARMINGTON – Firefighters are hoping to head off a few potential fires with a new program designed to check and install smoke detectors in local residences.
According to Capt. Tim D. Hardy, residents of Farmington can contact the station at 778-3235 and request that the fire department either check existing smoke alarms or install new ones. The program is aimed at assisting the elderly, handicapped or otherwise impaired residents at no charge.
“We’re just looking to reach out to the community to get these installed,” Hardy said. He noted that the resident would need to sign a waiver if the department installed a new detector.
Properly installed and working smoke alarms should be located in every home, near the living quarters. The Farmington Fire Rescue program does not encompass multi-unit rental properties, which by law are required to have hard-wired smoke detectors with battery backups. However, the department will assist in ensuring that the rental property’s owner installs the required smoke alarms.
Hardy said that the department currently had 50 alarms ready for installation. They were funded through donations made to the Farmington Fire Department Benevolent Association in the name of Hardy’s grandmother, Frances Hardy, who died in October 2015. In the longer term, Hardy said, the department would look for alternative sources of funding, such as grants, for more alarms if the program proved popular.
In addition to checking or installing new smoke alarms, the department will also work with residents to develop evacuation plans and other elements of fire safety planning.
The fire department can be reached at 778-3235.
