Fishers firefighters have been pointing residents of the Britton Falls neighborhood, a 55-and-older community, to safety and residents are thanking them for it.
Donna Eyer, resident of Britton Falls, shows that anyone can #giveabeep. (Photo provided)
With over a thousand homes upon completion, this community has a high population of elderly. One of the leading injuries for this age group is falls, and nationally, one of the leading causes of death in fires is the lack of working smoke alarms. To address these issues, Fishers firefighters decided to apply a double dose of Community Risk Reduction (CRR) by providing each household a free finger.
About three feet long, this plastic stick with a finger on one end allows a resident to test most smoke alarms without climbing onto a stool or step ladder. Fire Chief Orusa said, “By keeping people from climbing on something to test their smoke alarms every month, we can prevent falls and increase the assurance of working smoke alarms for our community.”
Firefighters will continue to point to safety for the elderly and the special needs residents for as long as supplies last. As part of the Fishers Fire and Emergency Services initiative to #giveabeep, firefighters want to insure that all residents check their smoke alarms monthly, replace batteries at least once a year, and replace the entire smoke alarm every 10 years.
Firefighters #giveabeep, and so should you.