Elizabethtown, PA,August 14, 2012:A generous donation from the Rotary Club of Elizabethtown combined with grant money from FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security and a community partnership with B&G Lumber of Elizabethtown have enabled the Elizabethtown Fire Department (EFD) to continue its current “Smoke Detector Life Safety Initiative” through which the department makes available life saving smoke detectors to the residents of the community that would otherwise be unable to afford them.

38% of fire related deaths occurred in structures without smoke detectors. Another 24% of deaths occurred in homes with detectors that failed to operate, usually due to dead or missing batteries (NFPA, 2011).

To combat these alarming statistics EFD implemented this program (along with many other departments across the state and nation) several years ago with detectors provided by a local television news agency. Over the course of the program, the supply of detectors has dwindled and budget constraints have made the survivability of the program difficult. EFD distributed the last of its detectors in April of this year and was set to use funds earmarked for the purchase of fire prevention materials that are usually distributed to young children during presentations throughout the year to keep the program going.

These funds in conjunction with the partnership formed with B&G Lumber, a local business who has agreed to sell the detectors and batteries to EFD at their purchase price has enabled EFD to secure a greater number of detectors for the same cost further extending the life and reach of the program.

Any resident of the greater Elizabethtown area in need of smoke detectors (or new working batteries) that cannot afford them or is physically unable to install them can stop by the fire department or call 717-367-5300.