MARIETTA — In partnership with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins and The Home Depot, Kidde, a fire safety product manufacturer, donated nearly $300,000 worth of smoke and carbon monoxide combination alarms to metro Atlanta fire departments Monday.
The event, hosted by the Marietta Fire Department, was part of Kidde’s Cause For Alarm campaign, which aims to address gaps in education and access to fire safety measures.
Kidde’s new Detect combination alarms will be distributed throughout the state, including areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, said Stephanie Berzinski, Kidde’s spokesperson.
During the event, Cousins shared his family’s fire safety “game plan” in the case of a house fire and took photos with officials, fire department personnel and football fans.
Credit: City of Marietta
Credit: City of Marietta
While signing the football of 12-year-old Easton Pavon, Cousins apologized for Sunday’s game, when the Falcons lost 14 to 34 to the Seattle Seahawks.
“As a parent, it’s essential to discuss fire safety with your children, to teach them what to do when the smoke alarm sounds,” Cousins said. “However, for the alarm to sound when needed, it’s crucial to ensure you have functioning smoke detectors installed in your home.”
Marietta’s Deputy Fire Marshal Steve Dau said the smoke alarm giveaway has been going on for about 10 years, although this was the second time Marietta hosted the event.
“For us to be able to host this and actually help out the counties all around metro Atlanta, it’s a big deal, because without the smoke alarms, that’s (how) we lose lives,” Dau said.
About 13 local fire departments were in attendance and received 300 to 400 alarms for their departments, Dau said.
“That’s money that the departments are not having to spend out of their own budget and some of them may not even have the budget to purchase these alarms on their own,” Dau said. “And our community, they’re not spending or worrying about those costs.”
In total, about 5,000 combination alarms were distributed, with the help of Home Depot volunteers, through the fire departments’ community risk reduction programs, added Dau.
Credit: Isabelle Manders
Credit: Isabelle Manders
Since getting involved with Kidde and the campaign last fall, Cousins said he has learned a lot about fire safety.
“I’ve been educated … on how easily something can slip through the cracks,” Cousins said. “As a parent who is responsible for my wife and my boys, it’s important to me and important to use my platform as a football player to get the message out to as many families as possible that this is something to not take lightly.”
Cousins encouraged people to make sure they and their families stay safe by having a fire safety plan and ensuring that smoke detectors are installed properly, using up-to-date batteries.
“If you have an exit plan, you give yourself a greater chance (of survival), not just you, but your family and your loved ones and the people you’re living with,” Cousins said.
Cousins said he has regular discussions with his children about what to do when there’s a fire and where to go, something that has given him and his family peace of mind.
“It is very similar to a football game. When you have a good process, you go through it, you’re prepared, and you can trust that preparation,” Cousins said.
Credit: City of Marietta
Credit: City of Marietta
A functioning smoke alarm system could mean life or death, according to Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King.
Last year, 104 people died in Georgia from home fires, a 28% decrease from 2022, King said.
“Most of these deaths occur between October and March during the colder months of the year,” King said. “In more than half of these fatalities, the dwelling did not have a smoke alarm or a smoke alarm was not functioning.”
According to the National Fire Protection Association, a working smoke alarm can reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by about 60%.
King said these deaths are not caused by a lack of effort from fire departments but rather a lack of education.
Berzinski shared that 40% of people believe they are more likely to win the lottery or get struck by lightning than experience a home fire.
“The sad reality is over 1,000 people have died in house fires in America this year alone and many of them were children,” Berzinski said.
Through the Cause For Alarm campaign, Berzinski hopes to help communities across the country learn how to avoid a house fire and become better prepared in the event one does happen.
“People only have up to two minutes to escape the house fire safely, so we know that every second counts,” Berzinski said.
Credit: Isabelle Manders
Credit: Isabelle Manders
In addition to the collaboration with Kidde, Marietta Fire has several other fire safety education campaigns, Dau said.
“We have home safety visits where our residents can call and request for us to come out for a home visit and… talk about fire safety,” Dau said.
The department also does neighborhood smoke alarm campaigns, typically visiting 60 to 80 homes in an area to educate residents and help install free smoke alarms.
“It’s very important to us, to be out there in the community to be able to install these alarms for families that can’t afford to get it or just don’t have the education and knowledge in terms of keeping up with the alarm,” Dau said.
In addition to Monday’s donation, for every Kidde alarm purchased at Home Depot through November, a $1 contribution will be made toward smoke alarm donations for families in need.
To request a home safety visit or learn more about fire safety, visit https://www.mariettaga.gov/763/Home-Fire-Safety-Visit. For more information on Cause For Alarm, visit CauseForAlarm.org.
Credit: Marietta Daily Journal
Credit: Marietta Daily Journal
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