Free smoke detector installations

The Red Cross has teamed up with a local fire department to install more than 100 free smoke dete...  More »

The Red Cross has teamed up with a local fire department to install more than 100 free smoke detectors in homes in the St. Andrews Gulf Parks Estates area. Registration is now open for families in the area in need of smoke detectors. A sign up event will be held on March 18th at the Elks Lodge on Beach View Drive in Gulf Park Estates from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. If you can’t make it to the event you can stop by their main station on Elm Avenue Monday through Friday between 9 and 5 to sign up. Each smoke detector will come equipped with 10 year-long batteries. Firefighter Bryan Gipson says the effort is part of a mission to prevent as many smoke or fire related fatalities as possible. “Most of your residential fires happen in the evening. A lot of times when people are sleeping and when you don’t have anything to wake you up to let you know you can succumb to the smoke and expire in your sleep and never even know there’s a fire in your house. It’s a common occurrence that can be prevented and that’s what we’re here to do. Installing smoke detectors to hopefully keep that from happening in the future.” Fire officials want to remind you to check the batteries on your existing smoke detectors every six months. For anyone who doesn’t live in the Gulf Park Estates, St. Andrews community plenty of local fire departments do a similar program. If you’re in need of a smoke detector contact your closest fire department.  « Less