The Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a fire protection and safety grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in September for a total of $88,839. The money will be used to purchase and distribute smoke detectors to residents in the MVFD district, said MVFD Assistant Chief Rusty Griffith.

"Our goal is to eventually have one working smoke detector in each house in our district," he said.

The grant, which fire departments compete for on a national scale, is split so that FEMA awards 80 percent of the money ($71,072) if the MVFD covers the remaining 20 percent ($17,767), Griffith said.

The MVFD has given out around 100 smoke detectors to residents each year for the past three years, which the department used to prove to FEMA that they were committed to the cause. The department plans to purchase 2,000 smoke detectors with this grant money, as well as approximately 500 replacement batteries for working smoke detectors.

The MVFD plans to upgrade the smoke detectors this time around, Griffith said.

"These devices come with lithium ion batteries, which have 10-year lifespans," he said. "The standard smoke detector runs on alkaline batteries that last about six months. We've found a lot of people have smoke detectors, but the batteries need to be replaced. This is meant to address that issue over the long-term."

MVFD officers will be going door to door throughout their district, which covers southwest Montgomery County—the area south of Montgomery and Conroe and west of The Woodlands—Griffith said. Residents with no working smoke detectors are being targeted, and he said people who already have a working smoke detector can get another one if there are leftovers.

Department officials hope to start the distribution process Jan. 1.

"We want to get this program off the ground before the winter time if we can," Griffith said. "The winter usually comes with a higher fire rate due to more people using space heaters."

The MVFD has seen several fire-related deaths over the past few years within its district, Griffith said. The department will be monitoring incident reports to see much of an impact the new smoke detectors actually have when it comes to saving lives.

"There is definitely research out there that says working smoke detectors save lives," he said. "If this grant were to save even one life, I think that's worth it."