Officials are urging Atascocita, Spring and Montgomery County homeowners to check the status of their smoke detectors and take advantage of a free service to have detectors installed in their homes if needed. On Oct. 3, the Insurance Council of Texas donated hundreds of smoke detectors to local first responder agencies.
Representatives from the Atascocita Fire Department, the Spring Fire Department and the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office received smoke detector donations from the ICT, according to a news release from the Spring Fire Department.
“ICT has provided life-saving smoke alarms to Texas fire departments for nearly 15 years,” stated ICT spokesperson Mark Hanna in the release. “We’ve distributed tens of thousands of smoke alarms to more than 50 Texas cities. This program has saved the lives of several Texans.”
Since the SFD launched its smoke alarm checkup program in fall 2018, Spring firefighters have installed more than 650 smoke alarms in Spring homes, per the release. Atascocita and Montgomery County officials said their departments also launched efforts in October 2018 to increase the number of homes with smoke detectors in their respective communities.
For example, residents living within Atascocita Fire Department's service zone—Harris County Emergency Services District No. 46—can have new smoke detectors installed in their homes at no cost or have their existing alarms checked, AFD Public Information Officer Jerry Dilliard said.
"It's absolutely no cost to the homeowner. All we ask is that you're within our service district," he said. "We want as many homes as possible in our district to have smoke detectors, and this is just an easy and inexpensive way to do it."
Montgomery County Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams said he launched the countywide Get Alarmed safety initiative in October 2018 after a series of fires occurred in the area. Williams said the holiday season is the peak season for home fires, so it is a good time for homeowners to verify the status of their smoke detectors.
Although October is National Fire Prevention Month, Williams said local first responders prioritize this effort all year.
"This is a year-round effort," Williams said. "Any time during the year, it's available to citizens."
Atascocita, Spring or Montgomery County residents who wish to schedule a smoke alarm checkup with their respective fire departments or get an alarm installed can visit the following websites and call the following numbers:
- Atascocita residents can call the AFD at 281-852-2181.
- Spring residents can visit www.springfd.org/smokealarm.
- Montgomery County residents can call 936-538-8288.
