RUSTON -- In an effort to save lives, the Ruston Fire Department is working with the State Fire Marshals office to install smoke detectors in homes, in a program called Operation Save A Life.
In the program, the State Fire Marshal's office provides smoke detectors for local departments to install in homes of high risk areas-- such as mobile home parks or low income neighborhoods.
The program is offered state wide, but it's the lincoln parish is the first in North Louisiana to take advantage of it.
Officials say Phase 1 of the program will launch in March, where Ruston fire fighters will go door to door installing smoke alarms in 300 hundred homes in the Watertank road area.
Nancy Wilson of police jury district 10 says she has spearheaded this project because her and her mother a residents of such a high risk neighborhood.
"A lot of the mobile homes are older, old structured homes and the safety compliance is outdated," she said, adding that high risk neighborhoods include those where homes are situated close together.
State Fire Marshal Butch Browning said the program has so far installed 30,000 smoke alarms across the state.
"Almost every fire death in the state of Louisiana occurs in a home that does not have a working smoke detector," he said.
The fire alarms will come at no cost to the residents. The State Fire Marshal's office is providing $8,000 worth of 10-year, lithium battery smoke detectors.
"The ones we're installing have the lithium battery that works for 10 years, you don't ever have to take the battery out.
State and local fire officials say they hope the program will spread to surrounding parishes in the area.
"I think what Ruston is doing is really going to be an icon to what we expect locals to do - is take ownership, go and find areas that we think people need these alarms and go in and offer it to them," said Browning.
In April, officials say Louisiana Tech plans to work with local community organizations to canvas the entire parish and install smoke alarms in every home.
For more information, please visit http://www.lasfm.org/
In the program, the State Fire Marshal's office provides smoke detectors for local departments to install in homes of high risk areas-- such as mobile home parks or low income neighborhoods.
The program is offered state wide, but it's the lincoln parish is the first in North Louisiana to take advantage of it.
Officials say Phase 1 of the program will launch in March, where Ruston fire fighters will go door to door installing smoke alarms in 300 hundred homes in the Watertank road area.
Nancy Wilson of police jury district 10 says she has spearheaded this project because her and her mother a residents of such a high risk neighborhood.
"A lot of the mobile homes are older, old structured homes and the safety compliance is outdated," she said, adding that high risk neighborhoods include those where homes are situated close together.
State Fire Marshal Butch Browning said the program has so far installed 30,000 smoke alarms across the state.
"Almost every fire death in the state of Louisiana occurs in a home that does not have a working smoke detector," he said.
The fire alarms will come at no cost to the residents. The State Fire Marshal's office is providing $8,000 worth of 10-year, lithium battery smoke detectors.
"The ones we're installing have the lithium battery that works for 10 years, you don't ever have to take the battery out.
State and local fire officials say they hope the program will spread to surrounding parishes in the area.
"I think what Ruston is doing is really going to be an icon to what we expect locals to do - is take ownership, go and find areas that we think people need these alarms and go in and offer it to them," said Browning.
In April, officials say Louisiana Tech plans to work with local community organizations to canvas the entire parish and install smoke alarms in every home.
For more information, please visit http://www.lasfm.org/
