Just in time for winter, a local church has made a donation of smoke alarms to the Payson Fire Department.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church on East Wade Lane donated 54 smoke detectors to the fire department Monday afternoon.
Fire Chief David Staub said they just ran out of smoke alarms, which they purchased through a federal grant.
Joyce Colaw, with the church, said they heard the department was running low and they wanted to help.
Sharon Judd, also with the church, said with winter upon us, more people are using their fireplaces and woodstoves.
“We want to make sure everyone stays safe,” she said.
Staub said firefighters frequently go into homes that have no smoke detectors.
The risk of dying in reported home structure fires is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms and nationally, three out of five home fire deaths resulted from fires in properties with no or no working smoke alarms, according to a September 2015 report from the National Fire Protection Association.
It is recommended to have smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of a home.
If you need a smoke detector, contact the PFD at 928-474-5242 ext. 9. Staff will arrange for firefighters to install the detector in your home at no cost. They will check to make sure you have the right number of detectors and check any existing detectors.
