Red Cross volunteers, fire department to give away, install smoke alarms Saturday

American Red Cross volunteers and firefighters on Saturday will go door to door in Mount Vernon giving away – and installing – smoke alarms.

"On Saturday morning, we've going to meet first at the Mount Vernon fire station downtown,"

Doug Marston, a community volunteer leader for the Red Cross, told the Mount Vernon News. '''We'll have a little huddle up and meeting of the installers and the fire department folks. Then we will go door to door and install free smoke detectors."

The volunteers will focus on two mobile home parks and also the Chestnut, Sugar, Walnut, Greenwood and Burgess areas, Marston said.

"The smoke detectors have 10-year batteries," he said. "We will be in the homes less than 15 minutes. In nine and a half years, Red Cross will send out a reminder saying it's time to replace them. We will come out and do it again for free."

Many people are reminded by the media to check their smoke alarm batteries when there is a time change, said Marston.

But they may not understand that just because the smoke alarm beeps when holding down the button doesn't mean the smoke alarm will still work if there is a fire, he said.

"That's because the chemical that detects the smoke only lasts for about 10 years," said Marston. 'We've gone into homes with 25-year-old alarms that still beep because they replace the battery or it's hard-wired. But it won't detect a fire."

The goal is to install 80-100 smoke alarms on Saturday.

"We'll probably exceed that with no problem," Marston said.

One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when installing smoke alarms themselves is putting them too close to the stove, he said.

"They get tired of the thing going off every time they cook a hamburger or fry bacon, so they take the thing down or take out the battery," Marston said. "So we generally put in the room that is next to the stove. So it's going to catch the smoke, but it's not going to go off every time you cook."

Any homeowner is eligible for free smoke detectors regardless of income.

If the volunteers don't knock on your door Saturday, you can call 844-207-4509 to request a free smoke alarm.

"You [just] leave your name, address and phone number," said Marston. "It's that simple. The computer sends the information to the local Red Cross and they'll call the customer and set up an appointment."