DECATUR, Ala. — On Friday, on the 900 block of 4th Ave, Decatur Fire and Rescue Ladder 3 was called to a structure fire when clearing from another emergency scene. When they arrived, there was heavy fire, and personnel made rescue efforts on the scene.
A female occupant from the residence was rescued, treated on scene, and transferred from the local helipad by air ambulance to UAB. The patient’s condition is unknown. Two male occupants were treated and released from Decatur Morgan ER. One male victim was confirmed dead on the scene.
In light of this tragedy, Lt. Brandon Sivley and Decatur Fire and Rescue want to make sure residents know about the smoke detector program to help prevent other tragedies from happening.
Smoke alarms are a key part of a home fire escape plan. When there is a fire, working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly. Lt. Sivley knows that these detectors often go unchecked.
"So typically, if we're in a residence and we notice that chirping noise, we ask people a lot of times like, do you realize your smoke detector batteries are low or malfunctioning because of the beep," Sivley said. "They'll just say, well, you know, honestly, we've let it go on so long that we've become used to the noise, and we don't like hearing that.
Decatur Fire and Rescue is getting the word out about a service that allows residents to get a new smoke detector, free of charge. The smoke detector comes with a lithium battery that will last residents up to 10 years.
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"So, thanks to Alabama Fire College, we get these free smoke detectors as a handout for residents of Decatur," Sivley explained. "What we'll do is actually go to the residents, will walk around, we'll give them a plan on how many detectors they need, where we need to place them and if the individuals are unable to, we'll even install them for them as well."
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, in 2020 residential fires caused 63 percent of fire deaths and 88 percent of fire injuries. Lt. Sivley urges residences to stay on top of checking their detectors
"So, we always encourage folks, you know, to check on a monthly basis their batteries, etc. so, you know, that's a little bit cumbersome, " Sivley stated. "We also recommend recently with the time change; we always advocate for people to check their smoke detector batteries there again."
For more information on this program, call 256-341-4860. For programs in other areas, please contact your local fire department.