SAUGUS — Since many house fires are started by elders leaving the stove unattended, regulars at the Saugus Center got a brief refresher on fire safety and those without a smoke detector at home were offered one.
“It’s like the old song ‘Stand By Your Man,'” said firefighter Bill Cross. “Stand by your pan.”
Cross told a crowded lunchroom to make sure their fire extinguishers were capable of fighting wood and paper, oil, and electrical fires, and to change the batteries in their smoke detectors twice a year.
When he asked the group how many had extinguishers at home, fewer than half raised their hand. Cross said the number of people who don’t have smoke detectors in their home is even more surprising.
“People take it for granted,” said Cross. “You would think everyone has a smoke detector. It’s amazing how many people don’t have smoke detectors and how many people who do have them, they’re out of date or they’re expired.”
Home Depot donated 50 Kidde smoke detectors with 10-year batteries to the department. The seniors can sign up to receive a detector if they do not have one and a firefighter will visit their home to ensure it is properly installed.
“A lot of times we’ll go out to help with the smoke detectors and find that someone has an extension cord running beneath a rug or 10 plugs plugged into an extension outlet,” said Cross. “It allows us to uncover a lot of other things that can help people out.”
He also stressed the importance of having multiple carbon monoxide detectors, because the gas is colorless, odorless, and deadly. This winter so far, the department has been to more than a dozen homes where the machines detected carbon monoxide and saved a life, he said.
“You never know, God forbid anything happens,” said Saugus resident Carol Quarantello. “The more knowledge we have as we get older, even to share with our children, any amount of knowledge is interesting and good to have. It can save your life.”
