HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU SEEN A SPLASHY PRESS EVENT where the local fire department has announced that they will be checking everywhere to make sure that smoke detectors are installed?

The Grande Program always starts out with the individual fire companies hitting the street and going door-to-door offering free detectors for places that lack them.  After a couple of weeks, it loses its fizzle and the neighborhood checks become less frequent.  Then by the time two months have passed, it’s forgotten about and planning begins on the next publicity event.

This didn’t happen in Nottinghamshire, England, though.  The BBC News is reporting (HERE) that the county fire service has been actively engaged in a similar campaign for four years now.  Since the program has started, they have conducted 39,000 safety checks and installed more than 53,000 smoke alarms.

Station Manager Andy Bettison said that the campaign is aimed at households with elderly and “vulnerable” residents which includes single mothers and people with alcohol-abuse problems.  He said that the firefighters look for proper cooking methods, properly installed electrical sockets and smoke alarms. 

Now that is dedication.

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