BATON ROUGE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — On Thursday, December 30, 2021, the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal has announced its selection as a federal grant award recipient allowing the agency to obtain thousands of smoke alarms to increase home fire safety across the state. FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate’s Fiscal Year 2020 Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Award, totaling $168,750, will boost the SFM’s smoke alarm inventory to more than 15,000 units for the agency’s Operation Save-A-Life program.
Operation Save-A-Life partners the SFM with local districts and fire departments to provide free smoke alarm installations for families in need of assistance accessing the critical emergency-alert equipment. The SFM encourages all families to have working smoke alarms in their homes.
“We are thrilled that our Operation Save-A-Life program was considered worthy of the support of this sizeable grant,” said State Fire Marshal Chief H. “Butch” Browning, “This opportunity to access so many of these live-saving devices comes just in time for consistent cold temperatures to settle in across our state.”
The SFM provides the following safe-heating tips for families:
- Place space heaters 3-5 feet from combustible objects like blankets and curtains
- Plug all heating appliances directly into wall outlets, not power strips or extension cords
- Do not use stoves or ovens to heat homes
- Don’t overfill fireplaces/wood burning stoves
- Do not leave candles/open flames (or space heaters) left unattended
- Have working smoke alarms in your home
To register for free smoke alarm or learn more about Operation Save-A-Life, visit here.