FARMINGTON — Thirteen homes now have new smoke detectors, each with a battery life of 10-years thanks to a partnership among Colonial Daughters [the local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter], American Red Cross and Farmington Fire Rescue Department.

DAR member Connie Hiltz, who is 91, said she changes the batteries yearly in her current detectors. When told the batteries in the new ones last 10 years she quipped, “I guess I’ve got to live to be 1o1.”

Hiltz said a neighbor called to check on her when the fire truck pulled up in front of her home.

The two detectors at her home were working but were installed in April 2015. Hiltz said she had some things gathered for a “go bag” and was surprised to learn one had just two minutes to get out of the house should a fire occur. “That’s all,” she asked.

Hiltz doesn’t do much cooking. “If I put something on the stove, go in the other room and forget it, that bothers me,” she said.

Hiltz was also appreciative of having company and thanked Farmington Fire Rescue firefighter Alan Stewart for shoveling her steps and deck. She had told the team ahead of time that her driveway had been plowed but was icy following the latest storm. “I am not going out,” she said.

“It is tough to get out there at this time of year,” Eric Lynes, American Red Cross North-Northeast region disaster program manager, said while waiting for program orientation to begin earlier Saturday morning, Jan. 14, at the Municipal Building. “This is when it is needed the most.”

The goal from the Red Cross detector program is to reduce fire related deaths and injuries by 25% over the next five years, Lynes noted. He told of an instance in Farmingdale where new detectors were installed and two months later a family of six was alerted when their home went up in flames in the middle of the night. “It’s a good cause,” he added.

“The Red Cross paid for the fire alarms,” Amanda Beane, DAR project chair, said. “Sophie [Piconi, American Red Cross Central and Mid Coast Maine executive director] came to one of our meetings to talk about the Home Safety Campaign. We liked the idea and looked into doing something locally. Four teams of two will be installing detectors in 13 homes today. One will document demographic information plus do some teaching on having evacuation plans and a place to meet in the event of a fire. Another person will do the installation.”

Many people support this program, this wouldn’t have happened without your interest, Lynes said. “Smoke alarms save lives, our fire departments tell us that early detection saves lives,” he noted. “[The smoke detector installations] has been a great program, is something tangible, provides preparedness information. We work as a team to get this done.”

Saturday’s event was a precursor to a larger event planned in the spring, where more homes and surrounding towns could be reached,” Beane had said previously.

In August Piconi was invited to speak at the local DAR meeting. “I asked, how many had been affected by a fire and it was like a light bulb went off,” she noted. “It is a simple way to help the community, partnering with civic groups and fire departments to make our communities safer places. Going into peoples’ homes, going over home safety with them is very humbling.”

Fire safety and smoke alarms aren’t thought about or talked about every day, Lynes said. They come up when a fire happens but people need to think about it every day, he noted.

“It’s proven that detectors work,” Evan Dorr, a firefighter with Farmington Fire Rescue said.

“You see it every day in your work,” Lynes said. “It’s at 2 a.m. in the morning when you see it.”

The fire detector installation is documented to provide family dynamics to the Red Cross, Lynes said. How many live in the home, the number under 17 or over 65, those who are disabled, members of the military or veterans is important information to know, he noted. Knowing how many people have been educated about fire safety is important, he added.

Documenters should ask if there is a fire escape plan – families should have two ways to get out of their home and a place to meet, Lynes said. The number of pre-existing alarms in the home should be noted and how many are working – if they are more than five years old, they should be replaced as dust and things in the environment can affect them, he noted.

“We need to know how many people we are affecting,” Piconi said. “The number of people served is the big thing, this is not to be invasive. The information is not being given out or shared. Fire departments receive a plaque if homes with alarms have a fire.

“Having a place to meet is important. The fire department shows up and asks if anyone is in the house. If you don’t know they will go inside to check. It is important information for firefighters, it protects them.”

In Waterville a child had learned in school to go across the street in the event of a fire, so that is what he did, but nobody knew he had done so and police and firefighters were looking for him, Lynes said. In another instance a girl snuck out to see her boyfriend and her dad was emotional thinking she was in the house, he noted.

It could work the opposite way and the boyfriend could be in the house, Stewart said.

“You have two minutes to get out,”Piconi stressed. She suggested putting together a “go bag” with important documents and other critical items near the exit.

Having a list of phone numbers someplace outside the home [in case cell phones are lost or damaged] and having a plan for pets were also recommended.

Fire alarms should be installed on every level of the home with one in a hallway or outside sleeping areas. They should be placed four to six inches from the top of the ceiling and not right next to a boiler or other heat source.

“Everyone I visited seemed very thankful and some were especially surprised because they didn’t realize the smoke alarms they had were no longer working so it felt really good to help them get updated with working alarms,” Beane wrote in a Facebook message Monday.

Beane noted Hiltz called her Saturday night to recap her morning’s experiences. “She said all the neighbors were calling her the rest of the day to check in on her,” Beane wrote. “She was especially thankful that the DAR is taking on projects like this, she said her and another lady loved doing stuff like this and she was excited to know the next generation was continuing on in their footsteps.”

For more information about the Colonial Daughters smoke detector installation program, call Beane at 207-491-6801 or email beaneamanda@gmail.com.

For more information about DAR or the local chapter, visit dar.org or www.mainedar.org/chapter/colonialdaughters/.

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