ABC 7 Chicago, the Chicago Fire Department, Kidde (a global leader in fire and safety products), and The Home Depot will team up once again for "Operation Save A Life," a public awareness campaign targeting fire/carbon monoxide safety and prevention, now in its 16th year. Kidde will be donating 4,000 smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to the greater Chicago area.
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Fire and carbon monoxide injuries and fatalities are often preventable through education and the use of smoke/carbon monoxide alarms and basic prevention tips. The message that "Simple Steps Can Help Save Lives" will be the focal point of our on-air efforts.
The Operation Save A Life campaign will underscore the importance of remembering to test your smoke alarms monthly and to make sure you've installed a working carbon monoxide alarm on each floor of your home. Missing or non-functional batteries are to blame for a great majority of home fire fatalities. According to the Chicago Fire Department, half-of the fatal fires in Chicago occur in locations that have no working smoke detectors.
Here are some of the "Simple Steps Can Help Save Lives" tips that will be reinforced during the Operation Save A Life campaign:
1) Test your smoke and CO alarms regularly
2) Place smoke alarms within 15 feet of all sleeping areas
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3) Install a working carbon monoxide detector on each floor of your home
4) Create, teach and practice your emergency evacuation plan; include two exit options and a safe meeting place
5) Learn CPR
According to the Chicago Fire Department, 67 percent of all homes with fire fatalities had no smoke alarms, 13 percent had smoke alarms that didn't work.
WHERE YOU CAN DONATE:
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Participating The Home Depot Locations Include:
First Deputy Fire Commissioner Richard C. Ford II said, "We cannot always prevent a fire from occurring but we can all install smoke detectors to warn us in time to save our lives. Operation Save A Life is an invaluable aid in making sure the message hits every home, everywhere. Smoke alarms are cheap insurance to keep our families safe."
"As a news organization, we report these tragic fire fatalities all too regularly. If we can help save even one life through our OSAL campaign, that's success. We are grateful to all our partners - The Chicago Fire Department, Kidde and Home Depot -for their support, said John Idler, President and General Manager, ABC 7 Chicago.
"Kidde's mission is to help save lives and it's a mission that we take very seriously," said Pam Hoppel, Managing Director, Kidde. "It is the reason that we continue to develop new fire safety products and invest in programs like Operation Save A Life."