Minneapolis Fire Department distributing and installing free smoke detectors

url:	http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/news/20101006FreeSmokeDetectors.asp
National Fire Prevention Week celebration Saturday, October 9 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Fire Hall & Museum 664 22nd Av NE

As part of National Fire Prevention Week, the Minneapolis Fire Department has launched the “Beep...Beep, A Sound You Can Live With” Smoke Detector Distribution Campaign. Under the program, funded by a fire prevention grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Minneapolis Fire Department will be distributing and installing smoke detectors to single family owner occupied homes across the City of Minneapolis. The smoke detectors are equipped with 10 year lithium ion batteries that never need to be changed. Priority will be given to homes located in high risk neighborhoods in the city as determined by a study of factors identified in the 2000 U.S. Census. The identified high risk neighborhoods are located on both the North and South sides of the city and include:

• Bryn Mawr
• Cedar Riverside
• Elliot Park
• Hawthorne
• Central Lyndale
• Near North
• Hawthorne (Near North)
• Sumner Glenwood (Near North)
• Willard Hay (Near North)
• North Loop
• Phillips
• Ventura Village
• Whittier

In more than 70 percent of fire-related deaths, smoke detectors were either found to be not working or absent from the property. Every home should have at least one smoke detector on every floor level, and one within 10 feet of each bedroom. Homeowners interested in obtaining free smoke detectors from the Minneapolis Fire Department should call 311.

The Minneapolis Fire Department is also hosting a National Fire Prevention Week celebration Saturday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m. - 4p.m. at the Fire Hall & Museum located at 664 22nd Av NE in Minneapolis. Admission is free and there will also be free fire truck rides, treats, and a wooden fire truck workshop with Home Depot volunteers. Visit www.firehallmuseum.org or call 612-623-3817 for more information.