First Alert, the most trusted brand in home safety, Campus Firewatch and the Michael H. Minger Foundation have selected 25 organisations to participate in the second annual Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project to raise awareness about fire safety. The initiative pairs firefighters with local colleges and universities to raise awareness among students and community members across the country about the importance of working smoke alarms and help to improve fire safety in homes.
The chosen organisations represent an array of entries from coast to coast, and each organisation will receive 100 donated smoke or carbon monoxide (CO) alarms from First Alert to install with students during home safety visits in at-risk communities during the fall semester:
Long-term safety for students and communities
"The Town/Gown project promotes fire safety education and collaboration between students, fire departments, universities and their surrounding communities," said Tarsila Wey, director of marketing for First Alert. "By partnering with Campus Firewatch and the Michael H. Minger Foundation, we are positively impacting the long-term safety for students and communities." By helping to install alarms in their communities, the students see first-hand the importance of working smoke and CO alarms"
College students living independently for the first time with new academic challenges and social distractions may not view fire safety as a top priority. The Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project encourages students to learn about and take responsibility for their personal safety, while also supporting the local community.
"By helping to install alarms in their communities, the students see first-hand the importance of working smoke and CO alarms," said Ed Comeau, founder of Campus Firewatch. "They are learning fire safety by doing fire safety, and making their communities safer at the same time."
Preventing tragedies by teaching fire safety
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a fire is reported every 24 seconds on average across the country and fire departments responded to 1.3 million fires in 2016. Three of every five home fire deaths result from fires in homes without smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms according to the NFPA. In the fires where a smoke alarm was present, but did not operate, half of them had missing or disconnected batteries.
"Teaching simple steps about fire safety paired with community outreach can not only help prevent tragedies, but also improve the well-being of the whole community," said Gail Minger, president of the Michael H. Minger Foundation. "We are thrilled to offer students this unique volunteer opportunity through the Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project."