Arlington County firefighters are attempting to check smoke detectors in every home in the county.
“Teams of on-duty Arlington County firefighters in uniform have been canvassing neighborhoods on Saturdays since June, offering smoke alarm inspections, new batteries and even brand-new devices when needed. All free,” the county said in a statement.
Firefighters have visited about an eighth of the approximately 40,000 homes in Arlington.
“So far firefighter, teams have visited 5303 homes, installed 784 smoke alarms and replaced 156 batteries. Of residences visited, 219 were without detectors of any kind,” the county said.
Firefighters started the door-to-door initiative to prevent fire-related the deaths, the statement said. Smoke detectors previously saved two people in an Old Glebe neighborhood last January.
“Previously, the fire department installed smoke alarms on request but few homeowners took advantage. The new door-to-door approach took hold after three recent massive house fires left a total of five people dead. In follow-ups, the department found that many neighboring homes lacked working smoke detectors or never had ones installed,” the county said.
The fire department will pause smoke detector inspections on Oct. 3 and will resume them in April.