Smoke Detector Installation Program

A critical role of your Colerain Township Department of Fire and EMS is Community Risk Reduction, not only in fire prevention and fire safety education, but with our community health initiatives such as our fall prevention program and our Quick Response Team concept that promotes the prompt rehabilitation of patients with opiate addiction. But the centerpiece of our Community Risk Reduction efforts is our smoke detector installation program. In 2016, 3,390 citizens lost their lives from fires in the United States and another 15,000 people were severely injured. The two primary reasons for this major loss of life remain the lack of working smoke   detectors, and the failure to plan and practice two ways out of our homes in the event of a fire.

The Colerain Township Department of Fire and EMS has decided to address these critical issues by making smoke detectors available to Colerain households, and at the same time, encourage the need for planning and practicing a fire exit plan for every residence, especially those with small children, including a centralized outside meeting place for the family to assemble should there be a fire.

Beginning in October 2017 and lasting indefinitely, Colerain Township citizens are encouraged to contact the Colerain Township Department of Fire and EMS via email at Smoke Detector Request or by calling (513) 825-6143, for a free inspection of their existing smoke detectors, and the free installation of new smoke detectors with ten-year, tamper-proof batteries, should their existing units be found inoperable.

After you make contact with us, a firefighter will arrange a convenient time for one of our units to visit your home; inspect your existing smoke detectors; and replace any expired or defective detector with a new one at no cost to you. This project is made possible through our strategic partnership with the Cincinnati-Dayton Chapter of the American Red Cross providing these smoke detectors for installation.                                                            

The Colerain Township Department of Fire and EMS values your life and those of your loved ones. Our goal is to make the Colerain Community safer, one home at a time.

The Colerain Township Department of Fire and EMS is recommending that you immediately add PHOTOELECTRIC SMOKE DETECTORS to your home. Recent studies have shown that in smoldering fires, PHOTOELECTRIC SMOKE DETECTORS can activate significantly faster than ionization smoke detectors. If you have a fire, a PHOTOELECTRIC SMOKE DETECTOR could be the difference between life and death!

Most fires that occur in residences start out as smoldering ignition fires. In a study conducted by Texas A&M, the probability of failure of the PHOTOELECTRIC SMOKE DETECTOR in the smoldering fire was only about 4% where the ionization smoke detectors failure rate was over 55%! In smoldering fires, PHOTOELECTRIC SMOKE DETECTORS were seen to respond 12-30 minutes quicker (depending on distance to fire) than ionization smoke detectors.

Special points of interest:

• In Ohio there is a residential fire every half hour
• Over 75% of fire deaths occur in residence.
• Develop an escape plan and review the plan with all members of the family.
• Establish a meeting place outside the house.
• Have a smoke detector in every sleeping area and on every level of the house.
• Keep your smoke detectors properly maintained.
• Change the time on your clocks, change your smoke detector battery!

Many of the local retailers located in Colerain Township carry the PHOTOELECTRIC SMOKE DETECTORS. To assure that the detector is PHOTOELECTRIC, check the box or label for the word PHOTOELECTRIC or the symbol (P). For more information, please contact our Public Educator - Kerrie Lerman at (513) 923-5072 or KLerman@colerain.org 

Urgent News! NO ONE SHOULD DIE BECAUSE THEIR SMOKE DETECTOR DID NOT WORK!

Carbon Monoxide Detectors:

As the temperature outside gets colder, we will be using our furnaces, heaters and fireplaces more. All are sources of deadly carbon monoxide gas (CO).  It is recommended to have multiple carbon monoxide detectors in the home, in areas that can contain sources of CO gas.