Garland residents receive free fire alarm installs

Sawdust speckled Red Cross volunteer Kyle Hogarty’s glasses as he exited a ranch-style Garland home.

Hogarty had helped replace a series of smoke alarms that were dangerously outdated, just one stop in a project geared toward making sure 400 of the neighborhood’s homes were adequately prepared in case of a fire.

“On to the next house,” Hogarty said, rejoining two other volunteers.

Ten groups composed of Spokane Fire Department and Red Cross employees, along with volunteers, went door to door Saturday offering their services in a neighborhood that has experienced more house fires than any other in the city, per SFD data collected since 2013.

Many accepted. Others declined, even though the service and devices were offered free of charge.

“Hey, all we want to do is help,” said Red Cross volunteer Jackson Isom minutes after walking off the property of a resident who didn’t want his fire alarms to be checked.

The groups reported mixed results. While one group installed five new alarms in the first nine houses it canvassed, another visited 36 homes to have only one resident answer the door.

SFD’s community risk reduction manager, Jamie McIntyre, said alarms need to be replaced every 10 years.

“In each home that we’ve been in so far, there was an alarm that was out of date,” McIntyre said. “Or there were smoke alarms that were inappropriately placed.”

The Spokane Valley’s University neighborhood also recently had its alarms checked. Both the University and Garland neighborhoods have older homes with older alarms, according to SFD.

With nearly 60 percent of all home fire fatalities occurring in residences without smoke alarms, according to the SFD, the organization said it wants to ensure the safety of the city’s residents.

McIntyre teamed up with Red Cross volunteers Hogarty, Isom and Leslie Czernik, who helped install and assemble data for the homes they serviced.

Earl Clary, a 65-year-old man who owned his home for over 40 years, was happy about the service.

“How much do I owe you, $100?” Clary joked as Czernik mounted a new smoke alarm near his living room. “This is going to make me a feel a lot safer.”

That’s the Red Cross’ and SFD’s goal.

“These home fires are devastating for the people involved and are also responsible for a number of deaths and injuries,” said Megan Snow, executive director of the Inland Northwest chapter of the Red Cross.

“That is why our partnership with local fire departments during National Fire Prevention Week is so important,” she said. “We want to help save lives by installing smoke alarms in homes that don’t have them and educating people about home fire safety.”