Smoke alarms save lives. Thanks to the efforts of the Lincoln County Board of Realtors (LCBR), Wiscasset and Lincoln County’s other fire departments will have 119 new home smoke detectors to distribute to needy homeowners.

Julie Cromwell, president of LCBR, told the Wiscasset Newspaper every holiday season the board picks a housing-related cause. Past efforts have helped with home winterization. She said this year the board chose to raise monies to buy smoke detectors following a rash of area home fires. The drive that recently concluded began on Dec. 1.

Cromwell said one private individual made a $100 donation and Ames True Value in Wiscasset sold the LCBR 36 of the smoke alarms at cost. Cromwell and LCBR’s incoming president Sherri Dunbar were at the Wiscasset fire station Friday morning, Jan 13 to deliver nine of the Kidde brand smoke detector units.

“We can certainly use them,”  Assistant Fire Chief Nick Merry said in thanking the LCBR for its donation. He said when the firefighters respond to a call and discover there’s no working smoke alarm, they provide the homeowner with one.

Merry added if a homeowner is in need of a smoke detector and can’t afford to buy one, they can telephone the fire department’s business number, 882-8210.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries.

“Roughly three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or with alarms that aren’t working,” the NFPA reports.

Smoke detectors work best when they are installed on a ceiling or high up on a wall; the NFPA recommends homeowners periodically check to see if the units are working and replace the battery if necessary.