Free smoke detectors, Milwaukee firefighters go door to door
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Fire Department went door to door on Friday, distributing free smoke detectors in the neighborhood near 8th and Hayes where a house fire left a woman dead and seriously injured a firefighter.
"Checking that our neighbors have a working smoke alarm, and that it's installed in the right place," said MFD's Carlos Velasquez Sanchez.
"That's definitely safer now," said Celia Vasquez, who had a smoke detector installed.
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The effort is part of the Milwaukee Fire Department's efforts to keep the community safe.
"We have less than three minutes before a house can become unstable, so it's very important that we have smoke alarms in our homes," said Velasquez Sanchez.
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There can be a barrier in south side neighborhoods like the one firefighters walked through on Friday – a language barrier. During the check, there was help for Spanish-speaking residents like Celsa Mota to get a working smoke detector inside her home. Information handouts are also available in Spanish for those who need it.
"It's very helpful, and it's great that they are doing this for us to help prevent fires, or incidents like the one that just happened," Mota said, via translator.
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"Being in this neighborhood that has a lot of Latinos and Hispanics in the area, I want to make sure they understand that we are here for them," said Velasquez Sanchez.
The Milwaukee Fire Department said the free detectors are available for any resident in the city regardless of their legal status. Information on how to get one can be found on the city's website.