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Get Alarmed Virginia
Get Alarmed, Virginia! funding announcement
RFP for the Get Alarmed, Virginia! 2007-2008 project year. Unsealed Proposals will be received until 3:00 P.M. September 7, 2007 by the Virginia >>Details......
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
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.
Get Alarmed, VA Communities
2004-2005 Communities
Moneta Volunteer Fire Department
Shenandoah County Fire & Rescue
New Kent County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management
Comprehensive Health Investment Project (CHIP) of Virginia
Henrico County Division of Fire
Past Communities
2003-2004
Prince William County
Colonial Beach
Stanley Shenandoah
Salem
Bristol
Cumberland
Fairfax
Portsmouth
Ringgold
American Red Cross Southside Area Chapter
2002-2003
City of Norfolk
City of Richmond
2001-2002
County of Chesterfield
City of Danville
2000-2001
County of Henry
City of Roanoke
1999-2000
City of Suffolk
County of Southampton
1998-1999
City of Petersburg
County of Tazewell
Photos from Richmond Fire And Emergency Services Get Alarmed, Virginia! Kick-Off:
Photos from Norfolk Fire-Rescue Get Alarmed, Virginia! Kick-Off:
