The Pflugerville Fire Department installed a combined 80 smoke and carbon monoxide detectors during a public safety blitz last weekend.

On Sept. 23, the fire department visited at-risk homes to replace or install both smoke-only alarms and combination smoke-and-carbon monoxide alarms. The houses chosen for the weekend visit were based on several demographic factors, such as income level and age of the home.

According to the fire department, nearly 30 percent of the homes visited did not have any smoke alarms. Additionally, of those homes that did have alarms, only 37 percent worked when tested or were not expired. The Pflugerville Fire Department added that “virtually none” of the homes it visited that featured gas appliances also had a working carbon monoxide alarm.

In addition to installing alarms, several volunteers were on hand to educate residents about the new alarms and other fire safety tips.

In all, the Pflugerville Fire Department determined that their new smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installations directly affected 25 senior citizens and 50 total children. Per the Pflugerville Fire Department, the program was the the largest of its kind in the department’s history.

Certain neighborhoods were notified of the installation and education efforts through signs and pamphlets that were distributed in the weeks leading up to the outreach.

“We were glad to see a few dozen families reached out to us and we were able to make contact with a few more while in the neighborhood,” said Allison Strupeck, community outreach coordinator for the Pflugerville Fire Department.

The alarms installed on Saturday were provided to the Pflugerville Fire Department through a grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.