Get Alarmed Virginia

Get Alarmed, Virginia! Funding Announcement

Get Alarmed, Virginia! program is funded by a state-secured federal grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since its implementation, the Get Alarmed, Virginia! program has been credited with saving the lives of more than 66 men, women and children across the Commonwealth of Virginia and with preventing millions of dollars in property loss. According to the National Safe Kids Campaign, every dollar spent on a smoke alarm prevents $21 worth of loss. This is a 2,100 percent return on the investment.
Get Alarmed, Virginia! Program:

Smoke Alarm Installation and Education Campaign

Administered through local agencies so that program is tailored to each community's resources and needs.

smoke_alarm

Goals:

Increase number of homes with working smoke alarms
Increase number of residents who plan and practice a fire escape plan
Increase number of residents who test their smoke alarms monthly

Program Provides:

Smoke detectors
Funding to purchase equipment for installing alarms (ladders, drills, etc.)
Educational materials (brochures, posters, videos)
Program promotion materials (t-shirts, signs/banners, media packets)

Local Program Activities:

Identify at-risk homes
Install all smoke detectors
Educate residents about fire and life safety practices:
- Developing and practicing a fire escape plan
- Testing alarms monthly
- Maintenance of alarms
- Administer 'pre-test' on fire safety knowledge and practices
- Document lives saved

National Statistics

Research shows that the chances of dying in a residential fire are cut in half when a working smoke alarm is properly installed and operating. About 80 percent of all U.S. fire deaths occur in the home. Younger children and older adults have a higher risk of dying in a home fire. Most people who die in home fires are not in the room where the fire starts.

Working smoke detectors alert people to fire and give them time to escape in a situation where minutes can mean the difference between life and death. The South has the highest fire-related death rate in the country, 28 percent higher than the national average, with rural and economically challenged citizens among the most at risk.

Health Care Costs and Savings

According to the National Safe Kids Campaign, every dollar spent on a smoke alarm saves $21. That is a 2,100 percent return on the investment. The total national annual cost of fire-related burn deaths and injuries among children ages 14 and under is more than $5.5 billion.

Virginia Statistics

In Virginia, a new fire occurs about once every 15 minutes. Each year, fire kills an average of 100 men, women and children in Virginia and causes more than $2.5 million a week in property loss.