ROSEVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A statewide program is helping protect Michigan families from deadly house fires by providing and installing free smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms in homes across the state.
The MI Prevention program supplies fire departments statewide with free smoke detectors to install in homes at no cost to homeowners. On Friday, the Roseville Fire Department visited 30 homes as part of the effort.
Roseville Fire Marshal Bill Schneider said many homes in the community are missing detectors where they are needed most.
"We are an older community here and what we see in Roseville is that they're lacking smoke detectors, they only have them like old school where they're on the first floor and then if they have a basement, in the basement," Schneider said.
Michigan State Fire Marshal Tom Hughes said the devices are critical to giving families a chance to survive a fire.
"These devices here can absolutely save lives. They can give people time to escape a house fire," Hughes said.
Since the program launched in 2017, fire departments across Michigan have installed more than 175,000 alarms statewide.
The initiative focuses on education, fire safety checks and ensuring every family has working alarms on every level of their home. Roseville Fire Department Fire Prevention Officer Capt. Michelle Cattaneo offered an additional safety tip for residents.
"Sleep with your doors closed. It gives us time to get here, and it gives you time to get out of your window or another way out of the house," Cattaneo said.
Among those who received new alarms Friday was Barbara McGuire, who lives with her 95-year-old mother, Elizabeth. While the home already had working smoke detectors in the basement and other rooms, the Roseville Fire Department installed several new ones in the bedrooms.
"We do not have one in my mother's room and she would be the last person to hear anything, so I am very happy one will be put into her room," McGuire said.
After the installation, McGuire said the new alarms brought her peace of mind.
"We're very happy to have them in our bedrooms on top of other places," McGuire said. "It will be a big relief to know that they're in here, that they're close enough that we hear them immediately if we need to get out of here."
Homeowner Sylvia Jacobs also welcomed the program's presence in the community.
"I think it's a good feature making people aware that these products are available in Roseville," Jacobs said.
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