Sixty percent of residential fire deaths result from fires in homes without working smoke alarms.
Hello, this is Governor Paul LePage.
As we head into the heating season, I would like to take a moment to talk fire safety and what our Administration is doing to keep people safe.
As you have likely heard, we have had too many fire deaths in Maine in the past few weeks. Eleven lives have been lost in three separate fires in Portland, St. Francis and Caribou. My heart goes out to the families who are affected.
Our Administration is helping to increase awareness in your community through a partnership between the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the American Red Cross. As part of their national disaster preparedness program, the Red Cross is adding smoke detectors as part of their effort to save lives.
I’m pleased to announce, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Maine Chapters of the Red Cross, and
local fire departments are working to provide smoke detectors to those who do not have them in their home. The focus is to get smoke detectors into every home.
As your Governor, a father and a husband, I do not want to see another life lost as a result of a fire.
More than one-third (37 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present.
The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.
The State Fire Marshal Joe Thomas has been able to get 1000 smoke detectors at no cost, to get the program started. Ongoing donations of smoke detector supplies are being worked out with the American Red Cross and Kidde smoke detector manufacturer.
We are also training Red Cross volunteers who will be going door to door with local fire department personnel. We will also install the detectors where needed.
The goal is to ensure Mainers have the protection of smoke detectors in their homes. And I would be remised if I did not emphasize the importance of making sure your alarms always have working batteries.
Don’t take them out and if you do so for any reason, replace them immediately.
Smoke alarms truly save lives and that is why our Administration is committed to the full five year strategy of the American Red Cross to this effort.
If you are interested in learning more about this program or donating to cover the costs of the detectors, please call the Fire Marshal’s Office at 626-3870 or the Portland Chapter of the Red Cross at 874-1192. Those numbers again are for the Fire Marshal, 626-3870 or the Portland Chapter of the Red Cross at 874-1192.
Thank you for listening.
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