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WILKES-BARRE — City residents can pick up smoke alarms acquired through a grant by the Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department.
Households will be allotted two alarms starting today and proof of residency is required. They can be picked up at the fire department headquarters, 20-22 E. Ross St.
Fire officials applied for the “Saving Lives One Smoke Detector at a Time” grant from the Home Depot Foundation that would allow for the purchase of 800 smoke alarms. The foundation’s goal is to decrease injuries and fatalities by providing smoke detectors to as many households as possible, the city said in a press release.
The fire department reminded residents that a working smoke alarm reduces by half the chances of dying in a reported fire. Almost two-thirds of house fire deaths occurred in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. During a fire, smoke spreads quickly and smoke alarms will allow for time to get out, the city said.