10 Years and 12,000 Smoke Alarms in Texas

The We’re Out to Alarm Texas program has donated approximately 12,000 smoke alarms to Texas seniors and other citizens throughout the state during its 10 years in existence, the Insurance Council of Texas announced.

The ICT said these smoke alarms have been distributed and installed by firefighters in 40 Texas fire departments.

“ICT has been joined by other insurance organizations and First Alert to prevent needless tragedies from the lack of a smoke alarm,” said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas. “Through the help of the State Fire Marshal’s Office, we have placed these smoke alarms in communities hardest hit by fire fatalities.”

The Travelers Insurance Companies, State Farm and the Association of Fire and Casualty Companies of Texas (AFACT) assisted ICT in making this effort possible.

Fire departments receiving smoke alarms for the first time this year through the We’re Out to Alarm Texas program are Mission, Mercedes, Alton, Pearland, Giddings, Haltom City, Cleburne and the volunteer fire departments in Collin County, Childress and Meridian.

Other cities receiving smoke alarms this year were Abilene, Amarillo, Laredo, Farmers Branch, McKinney, Wichita Falls and New Braunfels.

For the second year in a row, the Austin Fire Department installed donated smoke alarms into the homes of clients in the Helping the Aged, Needy and Disabled (HAND) organization. The smoke alarms are installed on a first-come, first-serve basis to homeowners in each city. Firefighters install the smoke alarms and point out possible fire hazards in each home. The State Fire Marshal has supported the smoke alarm program since its inception.

“Simply put, smoke alarms save lives,” said Texas State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy. “The goal of this program remains preventing people from dying in fires because they couldn’t afford these lifesaving alarms.”

We’re Out to Alarm Texas smoke alarm campaign saved three lives in its first year of operation when elderly residents in New Braunfels and Waco were rescued by firefighters after being alerted by donated smoke alarms to fires in their smoke-filled homes.

Source: The Insurance Council of Texas