The Carpet Guys and Red Cross push to install 100,000 free smoke detectors
(FOX 2) - There have been 140 deaths by fire in Michigan last year, and in 2019 there has been dozens more. Many may think that just replacing batteries in the smoke detector is enough but that isn’t always the case.
On September 29th, 2018. A mother and father from Eastpointe died in a house fire. Their 13-year-old daughter also died leaving a 16-year-old as the lone survivor.
The Radosavac family tragedy touched so many. Including the owner of the Carpet Guys, Joe Zago a friend of the family.
“It was just so sudden, no one expected it. Nobody would have thought that these bodybuilders, these healthy strong people would have been trapped in their homes. It's really important that we raise awareness,” Heather Alessi said.
We know one thing; this could have been prevented if their smoke alarms were working in their home.
So the Carpet Guys are teaming up with the American Red Cross to help get smoke detectors into the homes of those who need it. The team will help teach people how to install them too.
“It could've been prevented by a battery or just doing a regular check. What could have prevented the loss of a home or a loved one,” Tommy Kash said.
This is all part of a two-week campaign by the American Red Cross.
100,000 free smoke alarms will be given away in 100 high-risk cities across the country. Volunteers and fire departments will install free smoke alarms, and replace batteries.
“Its half-life is only 10 years old so it starts to feel around that time. It might go longer but I could go shorter and you don't want to risk that with your family,” West Bloomfield Fire Marshall Dave DeBoer said.
West Bloomfield Fire Dept applauding the efforts of the Carpet Guys and the Red Cross.
41 people have died already this year in fire deaths in 2019. The push to get a new smoke detector into your home isn't a sales pitch. It's a push to potentially save your life. Especially if it's been a while since you had one put in.
When they're too old, they stop working even with fresh batteries. Then there's the carbon monoxide detectors too.
“That material is about seven years so they start to be up about seven years. And if you look on the back of them and they tell you if I'm beeping this pattern it's time to replace me,” DeBoer said.
Just seven months after this tremendous loss, the hope is that no other family has to go through this.
Do your part for your family, If it's ten years old, don't just replace the battery get a new one.
“Let the public know that there's a free smoke detector out there that we can install in your home, you don't have to pay for it. We’ll come and change the batteries. We’ll check them, we’ll inform you and teach you and how to make sure that it's working properly,” Alessi said.
“We think it's awesome. Anyway we can get smoke detectors out no matter who is putting them down as long as they are putting them in correctly and helping people out, we love to see it. We think it's a great idea,” DeBoer said.
The Carpet Guys and Red Cross are having an event Saturday on Outer Drive in the 7800 block from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information or to donate to the Sound the Alarm campaign visit here.
For more information on the Carpet Guys visit here.