PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia City Council members and fire officials launched an effort Monday to clear out a backlog of requests from residents for smoke alarms.
Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson, joined by council members, went door to door on the 6400 block of Saybrook Avenue, prepared to offer a free smoke alarm installation to anyone who needed it. Only a couple of people answered, including Sullay Kanu. He said he was expecting a repairman when he heard a knock on his door.
“But when I saw a group of city and fire marshals, I said, ‘What happened?’ They said, ‘Oh, coming to replace the fire alarm.’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s a nice thing.’”
Kanu was the first beneficiary of City Council’s Smoke Alarm Installation Program, launched in Council President Kenyatta Johnson’s district. During May, firefighters from the prevention division will fan out in the other nine council districts, tackling a backlog of more than 1,000 pending 311 requests for smoke alarms and offering them to any resident who needs them.
Thompson says the department’s already installed 3,000 this year but hopes to move even faster in the next three weeks.
“We plan on installing so many more with the goal of saving lives because we know, as working professionals, working smoke alarms can save lives,” he said.
If you live in Philadelphia and would like a smoke alarm installed for free, call 311.
“Three out of five fire deaths happen in homes without working smoke alarms. Please do not gamble your life or the lives of your children, parents or loved ones,” said Councilmember Jaime Gauthier.