News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Informational flyers in Cookeville utility bill statements have caused an influx in smoke alarm installations.
Interim Chief Benton Young said that Cookeville Fire Department has been partnering with the Tennessee State Fire Marshal to provide the resource for some time. He said that they decided to put flyers in bill statements to increase awareness of the service.
“We hope to continue doing that maybe once or twice a year as we can,” Young said. “And letting everybody know because we’ll be having new people moving in of course and most everybody here in the city of Cookeville gets some time of utility bills so we can get those out to those people.”
Young said that a smoke alarm is a vital resource. He said that having a smoke detector in the home can cut the chances of fire death by 50 percent.
“It’s very valuable, it saves lives,” Young said. “It’s proven that that smoke alarm going off gives you that extra time to get you out of the house and get you to safety. Whereas a house that doesn’t have a smoke detector, you’re cutting chance down by 50 percent.”
Young said that the program has installed some 231,000 alarms across the state. Homeowners interested in the service can contact the fire department for more information.
