It took all of 10 minutes for American Red Cross volunteer Joe Leavey to install the first of three new smoke alarms in the hallway of Toni Shermon’s house in the Miller neighborhood of Gary.
In less than a half-hour, Shermon had two other alarms installed in the laundry room and a bedroom and was deep into a conversation about a strategy to get out of the house in the event of a fire.
When Leavey and fellow volunteer Samuel Robinson left Shermon’s house on a recent morning, they were on their way to 10 more Gary homes.
Last year, Lake County — the second most populous county in the state — reported eight fire deaths and Porter County reported two. The statistics are relatively stable when compared with 2014, said State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson. In 2014, Lake County reported seven deaths and Porter reported none. The state overall saw a decline in deaths related to fires from 84 in 2014 to 73 in 2015.
“When you have 73 fire fatalities in a state of 6.5 million people — and it is better to see none and that is our goal — in a heavily populated area as you have in Lake County — I would say we are very fortunate that it is not higher,” Greeson said. “I think there are good programs going on in Lake County. Any time we can educate people about cooking or space heaters and the proper use of Christmas decorations, I think we are doing good work.”
Greeson credits the statewide decrease in fire deaths to the action of the local first responders. He also said local fire safety education and the distribution and installation of smoke alarms is important in saving lives.
Shermon said she has not had a fire in her own home, but recalled a neighbor’s garage fire a few years ago that was frightening and she worried the fire could spread to her house.
“Everyone should have at least one or two working smoke alarms in their home,” Greeson said. “There are several programs in Indiana, if they cannot afford a smoke alarm, they can get one.”
District 1 of the American Red Cross has installed more than 200 smoke alarms in Hammond and Gary, Leavey said. The local effort is part of the organization’s national Home Fire Campaign.
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Another 200 smoke alarms were expected to be picked up from the Lafayette Red Cross office, said Beverly Wright-Thames, District 1 disaster program manager for the American Red Cross. In addition, she is seeking additional volunteers who can help expand the program to Porter County.
The Home Fire Campaign trains volunteers to knock on doors and talk to residents about fire safety plans and distribute and install smoke alarms.
“We do need the support of the community to get them installed,” Wright-Thames said.
Leavey said the local Red Cross has set a goal to install 1,500 smoke alarms throughout District 1, which includes Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton and Porter counties.
Separately, the Gary Fire Department is also trying to install as many smoke alarms as possible. Every Thursday between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. the department fulfills residents’ requests for smoke alarms on a first-come, first-served basis, said Chief Inspector John Leslie Jr. The alarms are delivered and installed at no cost to the homeowner.
Special smoke alarms also are available for individuals with a hearing impairment, Greeson said. “Typically they are available through the local fire chief who will make that request (to the state). We will get it to the fire chief and local chief would arrange for the installation.”
Another key component to residential fire prevention is educating children, according to William Jarvis, executive director of the Tri-Town Safety Village. Jarvis said 3,200 students visited the Tri-Town Safety Village in Schererville in 2015, thanks to local sponsors.
Wright-Thames agrees with that philosophy and says they reach out to schoolchildren as a way of getting information into the homes and to extended family members. She said Red Cross uses the Pillowcase Project to do just that.
The project, funded nationally by the Walt Disney Corp., has been presented locally in East Chicago and Michigan City. Each child receives a pillowcase and is instructed to put important information inside, Wright-Thames said.
“Contact information, snacks, toiletries, a change of clothing — things they will need in an emergency when they need to get up and go,” Wright-Thames said. “That is a very important way to send information home to family members — parents, grandparents, aunts, etc. When we present the Pillowcase Project to one of the schools, we also will send a flier home with the children regarding the Home Fire Campaign with information to call the chapter.”
While the No. 1 cause of home fires is cooking, winter is an important time to reach out to residents about fire prevention because “typically we see a spike in the wintertime and in some cases around the holidays,” Greeson said, adding often it is related to space heaters.
“When used properly they do a good job, but people have to follow the rules,” Greeson said.
Nancy Coltun Webster is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Learn more:
For more information about the American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign and the Pillowcase Project, contact Beverly Wright-Thames at 219-756-5360 or Brandelle Rogers, 219-874-4247, at the Red Cross office in Michigan City.
The Gary Fire Department installs smoke alarms in residents’ homes from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursdays. Call 219-881-5220.