Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson (Second District) was joined by Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson and other City officials outside the Engine 40/Ladder 04/Medic 19 fire station in Southwest Philadelphia to announce the new City Council Smoke Alarm Installation Program.
Under the program, starting on April 28 in President Johnson’s Second District, members of the Philadelphia Fire Department’s (PFD) Fire Prevention Division will go to City Council Districts on specific days by the end of May installing life-saving smoke alarms in homes and distribute safety literature to citizens. All 10 Council Districts will receive smoke alarms.
Currently, the PFD has a backlog of requests via the City’s 311 system for smoke alarm installations citywide and the goal of the City Council Smoke Alarm Installation Program is to significantly reduce that number by the end of May.
“Thank you to the Philadelphia Fire Department leadership for partnering with the Council President’s Office and all Councilmembers for this new initiative,” Johnson said. “The new program is a result of a recent discussion I had with Fire Commissioner Jeffery Thompson to find a way to have an immediate impact to reduce possible injury and death citywide as a result of fires. A fire can take a life in minutes, not hours, and a smoke alarm can take valuable seconds off that life-saving time. Smoke alarms save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce property damage.”
“You’ve heard us say this before, but it’s worth repeating: fire is everyone’s fight. Everyone. That means we need all hands-on deck to spread the word and do our part to keep family, friends, and neighbors safe from the danger of fire. I’m proud the PFD is working with City Council for these targeted smoke alarm installations in each Council District,” says Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson. “This is just another way we’re working around the clock to protect the City 24x7x365.”
The City Council Smoke Alarm Installation Program will be targeting the following City Council Districts on the following days:
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April 28: Second District (Council President Johnson)
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May 1: Fourth District (Councilmember (Curtis Jones Jr.)
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May 2: First District (Councilmember Mark Squilla) This day is also the national American Red Cross “Sound the Alarm” day.
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May 8: Third District (Councilmember Jamie Gauthier)
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May 9: Fifth District (Councilmember Jeffery Young, Jr.)
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May 12: Sixth District (Councilmember Mike Driscoll)
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May 15: Seventh District (Councilmember Quetcy Lozada)
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May 16: Eighth District (Councilwoman Cindy Bass)
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May 19: Ninth District (Councilmember Anthony Phillips)
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May 20: Tenth District (Councilmember Brian O’Neill)
The PFD’s Fire Prevention Division installs smoke alarms on a regular basis at locations throughout the city and will continue to do so while targeting specific areas in all 10 Council Districts as part of the City Council Smoke Alarm Installation Program. The PFD installs 10-year, lithium-ion battery smoke alarms that are proven to last longer and be more effective, without homeowners needing to worry about changing the batteries.
Fire spreads fast—working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), properly installed smoke play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries.
When working smoke alarms are present in your home, the risk of dying in a home fire is cut by 60 percent, according to the latest NFPA research. Roughly three out of five fire deaths nationwide happen in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms and the risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.
If Philadelphians need smoke alarms, request them directly via Philly 311 by calling 311 and the PFD will come install them in your home for free. The Philly 311 contact center answers calls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Citizens can also call the office of any of the 17 Council members to request a smoke alarm and that request will be given to Philly 311 for processing. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can request an adaptive alarm.
Citizens should have one alarm on each floor of your home, including the basement. To receive a free smoke alarm, a person must live in Philadelphia in a one- or two-family home that is occupied by the owner. If the person lives in an apartment building, or is renting a house, the landlord must provide smoke alarms on every level of the home. If a landlord has not provided smoke alarms, call Philly311 to report the violation.
The PDF estimates that it might take up to 60 days from the time of a person’s request to Philly 311 until the actual installation of the smoke alarm in their home.
Source: phlcouncil.com…