ACHD Offering Free Smoke Detectors

The Allegheny County Health Department is once again offering free smoke detectors and installation of them for those in the county that need it. ACHD Spokesman Guillermo Cole says they are giving priority to 17 communities that have significantly higher fire rates than the countywide average. He says the average in the county is less than one in 1000 housing units per year, while rates in these priority areas are as high as 5 or 6 in 1000 housing units yearly. These high risk areas include Braddock, Duquesne, Etna, Homestead and Wilkinsburg. Cole says they will provide a smoke detector for each level of a home.

Factors that make a fire more likely in a home include the age of the structure and if wiring through the house is done properly. Although a smoke detector cannot fix those things, Cole says countless studies have shown that detectors save lives.

ACHD is also offering a fire safety class for those that receive smoke detectors to help with prevention.