S.C. governor recognizes Sumter agencies for smoke alarm initiative
From left, Nancy Cataldo, American Red Cross Service to Armed Forces director, Gov. Henry McMaster and Sumter Fire Department Battalion Chief Johnnie Rose stand at the governor's mansion in Columbia earlier this month.
Sumter Fire Department and American Red Cross Sumter were recently recognized at the governor's mansion in Columbia for joint efforts to install free smoke alarms throughout the county.
The two agencies were among several in the state that were awarded for their efforts to educate and protect the public.
Since 2014, Sumter Fire Department has partnered with the Red Cross to install smoke alarms throughout the county in an initiative called Smoke Alarm Blitz and has saved nine lives as a result, according to Cuthbert Langley, South Carolina American Red Cross director of communication.
The Smoke Alarm Blitz is part of American Red Cross' Home Fire Campaign to reduce the number of fire injuries and deaths in the state by 25 percent by the end of 2019, he said.
Throughout the state, the Red Cross and fire departments have installed more than 60,000 smoke alarms and have saved a reported 53 lives since 2014, Langley said.
For information on how to have a smoke alarm installed in your home for free, call Sumter Fire Department at (803) 436-2600 or visit your closest fire station.