BY REBECCA BENNETT — On Saturday, March 7, a total of 65 volunteers from the Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Corps, the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department, Prince George’s County Fire and Rescue and others went door-to-door in neighborhood surrounding the Hyattsville fire station to check smoke alarms.
Volunteers received training before being outfitted with tools, ladders, batteries and new smoke alarms. They checked existing smoke alarms, replaced alarms that appeared to be older than 10 years and installed new smoke detectors on floors that did not have existing ones. They also talked to residents about having a fire escape plan.
All in all, 66 batteries were replaced and 84 smoke detectors were installed, according to the Red Cross.
The Red Cross said that the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign was initiated in 2014 seeking to reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to fire in the U.S. by 25 percent.
