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Home Page   Local News   Local Sports   Community Calendar   Opinion   Editorials   Columns   Letters to the Editor   Archives   News Archives   Sports Archives	10-25-2007 Company's hot idea pays off Two weeks ago, the Fly Creek Volunteer Fire Company announced it was a successful applicant for an almost $50,000 fire safety and prevention grant. But instead of purchasing another piece of fire equipment, the company plans to purchase almost 2,000 smoke alarms which will be used to make sure every residence in the district has the proper number installed. Fire police lieutenant Jim Wolff, who authored the grant application, said the fire company's members, all volunteers, are dedicated to saving lives and saving property. "We firmly believe that fire prevention and education is the first priority to accomplish this goal," he said. "Smoke alarms have been proven to save lives and save property, and now our community will be better protected." The need for the alarms became evident following a survey of the community last January by the fire company. Members discovered ten percent of the homes had no smoke alarm and 79 percent did not have the recommended number to provide adequate warning if a fire broke out. The company is currently shopping for the best price for the alarms and plans to have a distribution day within the next month or so. Residents will be receiving dual sensing alarms that detect both smoke and heat. The dual sensing alarms add a measure of safety and are an improvement of the single sensing devices. Firefighters and EMS personnel have volunteered to assist with the installation of the alarms, particularly for senior residents and anyone needing assistance. The company is also asking every recipient to test their alarms monthly and replace the batteries annually. Fire Chief Alan Thayer said smoke alarms are life savers and he is happy to be able to provide them to members of the community. "It's a great thing for the community," he said. We agree completely. It's refreshing to see this kind of proactive thinking by the fire company and its leadership. Outfitting every residence in the district with the proper smoke alarms is an excellent way to provide an increased level of fire safety for a relatively small investment - certainly much less than the cost of new truck and likely much more effective.
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