Fire Department, Lions install smoke detectors
The Red Cross funds the program so safety devices are free to residents.
The Bella Vista Fire Department teamed up with the Red Cross and the Lions Club to install approximately 65 smoke detectors in homes in the vicinity of Cooper Road on Saturday.
Elizabeth Mitchell, fire preparedness leader for Northwest Arkansas chapter of the Red Cross, said that this is something the Red Cross does regularly across the nation, and Arkansas is a very worthwhile target. The Red Cross, she said, often partners with Lions Clubs across the country.
Home fires, she said, are the number one disaster in the nation.
“It’s very important in Arkansas because Arkansas is second in the nation for home fire fatalities,” Mitchell said. “What that tells us is there are a lot of families in Arkansas that aren’t protected by smoke detectors.”
The Red Cross, she said, donated detectors for the department to distribute.
Mitchell, along with firefighters and other volunteers, canvassed the neighborhoods after meeting up and splitting into groups in the United Lutheran Church parking lot.
She was happy to find that many residents already had detectors, and were checking them and replacing their batteries regularly, she said.
“We actually met a lot of people who are being safe,” she said.
It’s also worth noting, she said, that anyone interested in getting smoke detectors can contact the Bella Vista Fire Department. The Red Cross will donate detectors.
David White, president of the Lions Club, said that this effort is what the local club intends to be its legacy project.
“I think it’s a very great opportunity to serve the community and be able to help people out,” he said. “They could use this kind of help, and it’s what keeps this country going.”
Fire Chief Steve Sims said that the department had a handful of firefighters available, and they drove ambulances around as they canvassed. The firefighters, he said, were positioned to be able to take off and tend to any calls that came in.
The homes in this area, he said, are older, so they’re more likely to have outdated, ineffective smoke detectors. Installing detectors in these homes, he said, will help him — as well as residents — sleep easier at night.
One resident, Jordan Boggess, said he might.
“I feel a lot better, because that one likes to run around at night,” he said, motioning to his 4-year-old brother, Pierce.