1-07-15 Firefighters Hit the Streets with Smoke Alarms

This follows a house fire at 410 N. Hawthorne last Monday. No one was injured in that fire.

Fire Marshal Beau Matlock says members of the Fire Prevention Bureau are doing what they can to prevent fires. "Most fires are preventable," said Matlock. "We're just trying to offer some fire safety information that will help these residents avoid tragedies in the future."

The fire prevention personnel were joined in today's effort by firefighters with Engine 5 and Ladder 5, the same firefighters who responded to Monday's fire. If no one was home, the firefighters left a "door hanger" on the door knob, a new publication the department is using to help spread the word on fire prevention. The firefighters also installed seven smoke alarms in homes that needed them.

With the coldest weather of the season upon us, Chief Matlock urges area residents to be fire safe. "Remember the three foot rule when using heating appliances such as space heaters and wall heaters," said Matlock. "Keep anything that will burn at least three feet away from those heaters." Matlock added that having a working smoke alarm in your home doubles your chances of surviving a fire in your home.