Since April, Springfield firefighters have installed more than 1,000 smoke alarms in area neighborhoods as a part of Project RED Zone.
They’ve visited nearly 7,000 homes in West Central, Grant Beach and Robberson neighborhoods in an effort to ensure that every Springfield family has adequate warning in case of a fire. In addition to the 1,000 installed alarms, firefighters have tested an additional 2,000 alarms and installed 300 batteries in existing alarms as a part of Project RED Zone. This brings the total number of alarms installed in our community during canvasses and other requests to over 3,000 in the last 12 months – far surpassing totals in recent years. Firefighters are now visiting residents in Heart of the Westside – another neighborhood with a high fire risk. In 2016, there were 18 fires in Heart of the Westside – among the highest of Springfield’s neighborhoods.
Project RED Zone – a reference to the red areas on the Springfield Fire Department’s map of fire incidents – stands for Reduce, Educate, Deliver. It is part of SFD’s Community Risk Reduction (CRR) program. The multifaceted campaign, which is part of the Zone Blitz, aims to ensure all homes in areas of the City with the highest fire risk have working smoke alarms.
Nearly every Saturday since the project began in April, fire crews have canvassed RED Zone neighborhoods – including West Central, Grant Beach, Robberson and most recently Heart of the Westside – knocking on doors, offering to test smoke alarms and installing new alarms or provide batteries if needed at no charge.
The program is already a proven success, with at least two lives saved as a result of smoke alarms installed during Project RED Zone. In September, the occupant of a West Central apartment home was notified to a fire in a neighboring apartment by her smoke alarm that had been installed 2 months prior by Springfield fire crews. And again in November, the occupant of another West Central apartment home was notified to a fire in a unit below her when her smoke alarm sounded. That alarm had also been installed by Springfield fire crews in January.
Springfield’s fire death rate is among the highest in the United States. In fact, it’s nearly triple the national average. In 2016, Springfield experienced five fire deaths. This is the equivalent of nearly 30 fire deaths per one million people. The national average is just over 10. Working smoke alarms doubles your chances of surviving a fire, yet data shows most Springfield homes are not adequately protected by smoke alarms. Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the home, in each bedroom and outside each sleeping area.
Project RED Zone is funded with the help of donations from the American Red Cross of Southern Missouri and Safe Kids Springfield and general revenue SFD funds designated for public education. If successful and if funding is available for additional alarms and batteries, the department hopes to continue to expand the program to other parts of the city. As always, the Fire Department offers free smoke alarms and batteries to anyone in need. To obtain a free alarm, call 874-2300.