 |
 |
Get Alarmed! Birmingham History (Español)
For years, an average of 13 people died in fire-related accidents in Birmingham. Many of the city's fire deaths shared one sombering fact: there was no working smoke alarm in the victim's home. In 2002, the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Department kicked off an aggressive effort to reduce those fire-related deaths.
Officials developed "Get Alarmed Birmingham", a campaign designed to educate the people of Birmingham on the importance of working smoke detectors and provide free, long-life smoke alarms to homes without one.
The efforts of the campaign are paying off. Since Get Alarmed Birmingham's inception, fire related deaths in Birmingham are down. In 1999, there were fourteen deaths; in 2003 the number fell to four. Chief Dwayne A. Murray attributes this impressive reduction to the "Get Alarmed Birmingham" campaign.
Since 2002, the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Department has distributed more than 17,000 smoke detectors to the citizens of Birmingham.
The program was originally funded by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and matching funds from the City of Birmingham. The city's corporate community stepped up, providing donations to sustain the program's educational mission beyond the original grant.
The educational portion of the campaign, currently in Phase III, is funded by Alabama Power, The Birmingham Water Works Board, and State Farm Insurance.
The focus of "Get Alarmed Birmingham" is on education. A significant part of this campaign is equipping school children with the tools and knowledge that will help to ensure their lives, and the lives of their family, are protected in the event of a fire.
The Department distributes bi-lingual Fire Safety Coloring Books and an interactive Fire Safety Games CD-ROM as way to teach children the important role a smoke alarm plays. Portions of the coloring book and an online version of the interactive game are featured on this website. |
|
