21-02-2025
Fire that injured 9-year-old leads to free smoke alarm installations
SHARON, Pa., (WKBN) — A recent fire call in Sharon has led to change after a 9-year-old boy was badly burned.
He could've avoided injury if his bedroom had a smoke alarm. Now, the fire department has started a mission to provide free smoke alarms across the city.
New smoke alarms are ready for installation in Sharon. The idea came after a fire on Euclid Avenue 10 days ago where the boy was sleeping and never alerted to a fire.
'In that boy's room was a bracket for where a smoke alarm should have been. The smoke alarm wasn't there,' said Deputy Fire Chief Nicholas Samson.
The boy has serious burns but Samson believes he could've escaped injury with a warning sound so the Sharon Fire Department has a new mission to provide free smoke alarms for Sharon residents.
'One on every floor of their house and one in every sleeping room,' Samson said.
The offer is for everyone. Up to three new smoke detectors per home are completely free. The sensors in smoke alarms only last ten years. The fire department is willing to inspect your alarms or install new ones.
'Even though you're testing it and it still beeps, it actually might need replaced and it might not function properly in the event of a fire,' said Samson.
The smoke alarms come from the American Red Cross — a partnership to benefit the city and its residents. Residents have to take the first step and firefighters are ready to take it from there.
'It might not seem quite as heroic and exciting as the way you see on TV but to us, you know, a saved life through a smoke alarm, you know, is just as valuable as a saved life by someone being dragged out of a burning building,' Samson said.
You can call the fire department at (724) 509-1014 to schedule an installation or sign up online on the Community Connect portal.
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