The Little Rock Fire Department has smoke detectors and fans available for residents in need.

Through a FEMA grant, LRFD received 2,500 smoke detectors that are available for free installation in Little Rock homes as part of the Save-A-Life Smoke Detector Program. The devices must be installed by the Fire Department.

Every year in the United States, about 2,000 people lose their lives in residential fires. In a fire, smoke and deadly gases tend to spread farther and faster than heat. That’s one reason why most fire victims die from inhalation of smoke and toxic gases, not from burns. A majority of fatal fires happen when families are asleep because occupants are unaware of the fire until there is not adequate time to escape. A smoke detector stands guard around the clock, and when it first senses smoke, it sounds a shrill alarm. This often allows a family the precious, but limited, time needed to escape.

Little Rock residents in need of smoke detectors should call 501-918-3700 or email Fireprevention@littlerock.gov to request smoke alarms to be installed by the Little Rock Fire Dept. Emailed requests should include the address where the detector(s) will be installed, contact person along with phone number, and best time to contact. Please allow up to three calendar days before a fire department representative makes contact to schedule the installation.

These smoke detectors are made possible by a FEMA grant awarded in September 2018 in the amount of $49,048 with a match bringing the total funds to $51,500. A portion of the funds have already been used to purchase 100 specialty smoke alarms for the visual and hearing impaired. Those have been installed through a partnership with the Arkansas Schools for the Deaf and Blind.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports an average of 618 heat deaths per year from 1999 to 2010. As summer approaches, LRFD wants to reach those in need of fans that can provide much needed cooling during hot Arkansas weather. Residents may also call 501-918-3700 or email Fireprevention@littlerock.gov to request a fan (one per home). The fans must be delivered by the Fire Department.

Those who would like to help, may drop off working fans at any Little Rock Fire Station for distribution by firefighters.