| In the early morning hours Saturday March 24th the Charleston Fire Department responded to what would be the deadliest fire in the city's history. As you know the fire claimed the lives of seven children and two adults. To further the tragedy the home only had one working smoke detector, which was improperly installed. Please note this tragedy occurred about a half mile from the end of our fire protection territory and two of the children attended Shoals Elementary School; at which we conducted fire prevention education last fall.
CALL TO ACTION:
Please ensure your home (weather you own or rent) has properly installed smoke detectors/alarms with fresh batteries. The recommended placement is one detector in each sleeping room PLUS one per floor in an open area such as a hallway. We also strongly recommend one carbon monoxide detector/alarm per floor.
COMMUNITY EVENT:
The Charleston Fire Department and WCHS TV 8 Eyewitness News are on mission to save lives by putting working smoke detectors into as many homes as possible.
A week-long effort began last night on Eyewitness News at 6pm. Deborah Linz was live at the Charleston Fire Department to announce the initiative, "Never Again!"
It begins with a call to action: Asking viewers, businesses and anyone who will listen to donate money to the Charleston Fire Department so they can buy as many smoke detectors as we can and follow up on the installation.
Their effort will culminate on Friday and Saturday, when there will be a Charleston Fire Department Engine in the WCHS TV 8 parking lot on Piedmont Road handing out smoke detectors to anyone who needs them. Proper installation is key to this effort, so every person who takes a detector will be required to provide the CFD contact information so they can follow up to make sure each was properly installed, or they will assist with the installation of the smoke detectors. This effort will begin at Eyewitness News on Friday from 5am though 11:30pm, and 8am to 6:30pm on Saturday.
The donation part of this effort begins now. Anyone who wants to donate can either stop by the Charleston Fire Departmetn in person, or they can send their donations to:
Charleston Fire Department
"Never Again"
808 Virginia St West
Charleston, WV 25302 |
