Credit: American Red Cross Eastern Pennsylvania Region
A smoke alarm helped a family save their home on Sunday in Bristol Township’s Croydon section.
From outside, the young couple heard the alarm going off, called the fire company, and firefighters were able to stop the electrical blaze before it consumed their home.
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Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito said that incident shows the importance of having smoke alarms in every home.
The day before the Sunday fire, volunteers from the American Red Cross Eastern Pennsylvania Region, Croydon Fire Company, and Bristol Township Fire Marshal’s Office took to the streets of Croydon to install free smoke alarms as part of the Sound the Alarm Save a Life campaign. Dippolito and Red Cross volunteer Marybeth Williams coordinated the event.
In total, 294 smoke alarms were installed across 55 homes in Croydon, Dippolito said.
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“I applaud not only the volunteer firefighters and American Red Cross volunteers, but also the residents who asked for smoke alarms to be installed in their homes. Their actions will not only reduce the risk of injuries to themselves and their families through early detection, but also the firefighters who enter burning homes,” the fire marshal told LevittownNow.com.
Data from the National Fire Protection Association notes that roughly two-thirds of all national fire deaths were in homes without working smoke alarms. In some of the cases, smoke alarms were found but they were not operating properly or had been disconnected.
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Dippolito said another smoke alarm campaign will take place on Saturday, August 24 across Bristol Township. Residents with interesting in a smoke alarm can contact the fire marshal at kdippolito@bristoltownship.org to schedule an appointment.
