PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — With a ladder and a drill in hand, Philadelphia firefighter Duvell Harvin was on duty Tuesday — not to put out fires, but to prevent them. Harvin spent the day installing what he calls the first line of fire defense: smoke detectors.
“That can be a huge life changer because everyone here in Philadelphia should have working smoke alarms,” Harvin said.
The reality is, not everyone does. On Tuesday, a team of firefighters and American Red Cross volunteers spent the afternoon going door to door in Philadelphia’s Holmesburg neighborhood, offering to install free smoke alarms with 10-year sealed batteries.
In a house on Bleigh Avenue, Harvin installed three smoke detectors: one on each floor, including the basement.
“It only takes a few minutes,” Harvin noted.
While Harvin performed the installation, Red Cross volunteer Charlene Scott educated homeowners on safety and evacuation plans.
“I’d rather support you before the fire than have to see you after the fire,” Scott said. “If a family can get out of a house based on the fire alarm, we’ve saved families.”
Further down the street, resident Jeff Jacobs had his outdated smoke detector replaced and two new ones installed.
“It’s nice to have that extra security,” said Jacobs.
Earlier this month, Jacobs’ neighbor died after a fire and smoke broke out on the second floor of his home.
“His name was Steve. He’s going to be missed by all of us,” Jacobs said. “I don’t think he had a smoke alarm because I was there before the fire department came and I didn’t hear any smoke alarm sirens. You don’t think it’s going to happen to you, and it very well could.”
Battalion Chief Brandon Wilson explained that the department’s Deadly Fires program provides this door-to-door service in neighborhoods that have recently been hit by deadly fires.
According to the Philadelphia Fire Department, 4,000 smoke alarms have been installed throughout the city this year.
People who need this free service can request it by calling 311.
Aziza Shuler
