Since April 2017, Springfield firefighters have installed 2,334 smoke alarms in area neighborhoods as a part of Project RED Zone.
They’ve visited over 14,600 homes in the West Central, Grant Beach, Westside, Heart of the Westside, Robberson, Woodland Heights, Tom Watkins and Doling neighborhoods. The department is moving into the Bissett neighborhood (bordered by West Bypass to the west, Fulbright Avenue to the east, Chestnut Expressway to the south and Division Street to the north) in the spring in an effort to ensure that every Springfield resident has adequate warning of a fire in their home.
In addition to the 2,000-plus installed alarms, firefighters have tested an additional 4,325 alarms and replaced 684 batteries in existing alarms as a part of Project RED Zone.
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 aims to ensure all homes in high-risk areas of the city have working smoke alarms.
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 2017, the occupant of a West Central apartment was notified to a fire in a neighboring apartment by her smoke alarm that had been installed two months before by Springfield fire crews. In November of last year, the occupant of another West Central apartment 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 the previous January.
Working smoke alarms double your chances of surviving a fire. 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, Safe Kids Springfield, FEMA Fire Prevention and Safety grants and general revenue SFD funds designated for public education.
The Fire Department offers free smoke alarms and batteries to anyone in need. To obtain a free alarm, call 417-874-2300.