Thanks to a grant secured by the Union County Fire Department, 100 new Kidde alarms have been added to the county’s free Smoke Alarm Program.
The delivery took place at Fire Station No. 1 on March 24, attended by firefighters and Fire Chief David Dyer alongside Kidde Senior Regional Sales Manager Evan Bruck, Deputy Commissioner of Safety Fire Tony Pritchett, Georgia Community Risk Reduction Manager Amanda Jones and State Arson Investigator Tommy Long.
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Bruck noted that modern homes often go up in flames quicker than they did in the past due to an abundance of synthetic materials. When those materials burn, they belch toxic fumes and dark smoke into the air, creating an overwhelming environment that can make escape impossible.
Fortunately, there’s a way to mitigate these risks before a situation becomes deadly.
“It’s so important to make sure that everyone knows to check their smoke alarms and to test it at least once a year, and always know their expiration date, which is found on the back of the smoke alarm,” Jones said.
It is a dire warning, considering the grim statistics that Jones shared. In just the first three months of 2025, there have been almost 40 fire-related fatalities in Georgia, and only five of the victims had working alarms.
As to how this opportunity came to be, after seeing the grant was available, Fire Lt. David Ueltzen pursued the funding on behalf of the Fire Department to the benefit of everyone in the community.
As part of a collaboration between Community Risk Reduction and State Farm, a secondary box containing Sparky the Fire Dog-themed goodies was gifted to the Fire Department as well, including coloring books for kids, to help spread fire safety awareness.
The goal is to use the materials as part of the Read Across America initiative, with a book large enough to be seen in front of a whole class of kids being donated also.
Union County’s Smoke Alarm Program offers free smoke alarms to residents in need, and, as long as they’re available, carbon monoxide monitors.
To take advantage of the program, one can either call the Fire Department at 706-439-6095 or fill out an online application at www.unioncountyga.gov/fire-department/smoke-alarm-request-form. Residents need only complete a few short survey questions.
As part of the program, firefighters will come out to a residence and install the smoke alarm or carbon monoxide monitor, at which time they will also leave educational reading materials on fire preparedness.
