Smoke detectors save lives. The Red Cross will install them at your home for free
When fires happen in people's homes, smoke detectors can save lives.
The North Country has had a lot of fires this year. In January, WWNY-TV reported eight in St. Lawrence County on a single day.
Madeline Clark is a disaster program manager for the Eastern New York Red Cross, which includes the North Country.
"On average, we get about 10 calls for home fires a day," Clark said. "Fires happen frequently, and they happen to everybody, and so it's important just to know to take care of yourself. And in the unfortunate event that you do have a home fire, make sure that you know how to get out of your home and that your detectors will go off."
Clark said lots of people don't have working smoke detectors in their homes. Often, people remove their smoke detectors themselves.
"The battery would go dead, it'd start beeping, and people would take it off the wall and never replace it," Clark said. "That is a major risk factor when you're talking about getting out of a home fire alive."
Since 2019, the state has required a different kind of detector, with built-in batteries that last ten years. Anyone can get those installed for free by calling the Red Cross at 518-694-5121. The Red Cross also has special detectors for people who are hearing-impaired.
"We don't ask questions about people's income level [or] their housing situation," Clark said. "We're pretty neutral, so if somebody requests it, we will install it."
Clark said the only exceptions to that are Airbnbs and vacation homes. But any permanent residence — like a house, a duplex, a mobile home or an apartment — is eligible.
On Saturday, volunteers with the Red Cross will visit 20 households in Ogdensburg to install smoke detectors for free.
