'A true life-saving device': Firefighters install free smoke alarms in Milwaukee's Martin Drive neighborhood

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The latest effort to protect homes and lives in Milwaukee took place Friday morning in the city's Martin Drive neighborhood, as local firefighters knocked on doors and installed smoke alarms for free. 

City leaders told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White that the area by W. Juneau Ave. had seen seven fires over the last 10 months -- four of them happening since Jan. 1. 

For District 10 Alderman Michael J. Murphy, that uptick is concerning, which is why he reached out to Milwaukee Fire Department officials for assistance. 

“I think a lot of us sometimes sit back and say well, that could never happen to me," Ald. Murphy said. "And it can."

On June 16, Ald. Murphy, MFD Chief Aaron Lipski, and dozens of firefighters and cadets headed through the neighborhood, introducing themselves to residents and sharing other safety information.

Each alarm installed lasts for 10 years, and when it runs out, MFD officials said they would replace it for free. 

“The reality is these smoke detectors can play a key and vital role in saving not only lives but saving property," Ald. Murphy said.

Frans de Boer, who has lived in the area since 1975, said he was thankful for the safety efforts as his alarm was "outdated."

“It gives me a lot of peace and mind also actually having one installed in our home," de Boer said. “I think it’s actually very, very important for every homeowner, or even a renter, to actually have one for safety reasons because you never know what’s going to happen.”

According to Chief Lipski, fires in homes can happen to anyone.

"It is such a simple piece of equipment, and it goes an extremely long way to helping people self-evacuate and self-rescue," said Chief Lipski. "In essence, the best rescue you'll ever have is the one that we don't have to go in."

The installations only take minutes.

If you missed out, officials said you can call 414-286-8980 to schedule a free installation.

“You never think it’s going to happen to you," Ald. Murphy said. “Smoke detectors really have changed the paradigm for providing safety for residents throughout the city and the country, really.”