City Offers Free Smoke Alarms to Senior Residents

The will provide and install 100 smoke alarms, free of charge, in homes of eligible Redmond residents as part of the state's Fire Safe Families Project. Redmond Fire will target Redmond’s senior population with this program by partnering with the .

The Fire Department will give a fire safety education presentation at 9:30 a.m. July 6 at the senior center, 8703 160th Ave. NE, followed by a smoke alarm registration for eligible residents. Eligibility preferences include being a Redmond senior resident living in a home that does not have the required number of smoke alarms or smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old. The resident must also register before the firefighters come to the home and allow all needed smoke alarms to be installed by the firefighters or their volunteers.

This program is funded by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Washington State Department of Health, Injury & Prevention Program. It is intended to prevent fire-related injuries and deaths through installation of smoke alarms in homes that do not have adequate smoke alarm coverage.

“Fires and burns are one of the leading causes of unintentional injury or death in the United States,” Assistant Fire Marshal Todd Short said in a news release. “Based on a five year average, approximately five people die in fires each month in Washington State with 73 percent occurring in homes. A working smoke alarm significantly reduces the risk of death or injury in fire by providing early notification to the occupants.”

When visiting the home, fire personnel and volunteers install the alarms, offer fire prevention tips and help residents with fire escape plans.

To apply for a free alarm, contact Carol Hartwell at 425-556-2220 or chartwell@redmond.gov or Linda Swanberg at 425-556-2246 or lswanberg@redmond.gov.

—From a City of Redmond news release