In the fall, the Sayville Fire Department acquired 150 photoelectric smoke detectors with ten-year lithium batteries as part of the Smoke Alarm Project sponsored by the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs. The goal was to increase the number of homes that are adequately covered by working smoke detectors and to increase fire safety awareness among its residents.
The project kicked off in October, which was Fire Prevention Month. Over a period of a few months, three Sayville Fire Department volunteers each dedicated over 40 hours visiting 50 homes and installing 150 smoke detectors. During their visits, they tested and inspected existing smoke detectors and installed smoke detectors where additional coverage was needed. The goal was to make sure there was adequate protection for the occupants of each residence (inside and outside each sleeping area and on each level of the home). They also took the opportunity to discuss fire safety topics, including escape planning, fire prevention, smoke/CO detectors and to answer any questions that the homeowners had.
Commissioner/Ex-Chief Donald Corkery was instrumental in getting Sayville involved in the Smoke Alarm Project and was assisted by Public Information Officer Wendy Liu and Firefighter Danielle Chernoff. Donald Corkery said, "We are not only pleased to be able to take advantage of the opportunity to make homes in our area safer, but we were also happy to use the time with our residents to increase fire safety awareness." He also noted that these visits provided valuable information about the different layouts and contents of each home they visited, which will be valuable to firefighters should there be an incident at any of those addresses. Lastly, because some of the visits were to disabled residents, information was logged into the computer system back at the firehouse to alert firefighters of the location of those residents during the day and evening.
Sayville Fire Department Chief Thomas Pantano would like to remind everyone of the importance of working smoke detectors. Smoke detectors should be placed on every level of the home and inside and outside of each sleeping area. During this program, Firefighters discovered that most homes were not properly covered with Carbon Monoxide detectors. Chief Pantano suggests that CO detectors be placed near sleeping areas and on each level of the home.
