October marks the beginning of National Fire Prevention Month, and one of the most obvious ways to prevent injuries or fatalities from a fire is through the use of smoke detectors.

To kick off Fire Prevention Month, the Russellville Fire Department wants to make sure residents are aware of their ongoing program to distribute smoke detectors, free of charge, to homes throughout the city.

Fire Chief Joe Mansell said the department is promoting their smoke detector program, which has been around for the past several years, so they can make sure the residents in the area are as safe as possible.

The smoke detectors have approximately a 10-year battery span and are given out free of charge to city residents who need one.

“Sen. Roger Bedford and the city council have been very supportive in helping us keep this program going and we want everyone to take advantage of it,” Mansell said.

“Smoke detectors are tools that have been proven to save lives. We have had fatality fires where, after the investigation is finished, we discovered the house was without a smoke detector, so you can see how important it is to have one in your home.”

Mansell said the program has evolved over the years and it is his goal to have a working smoke detector in each home inside the city limits.

“When our smoke detector project first started, we were just giving them to our elderly residents and those on a fixed income,” Mansell said.

“With the help of the city and Sen. [Roger] Bedford, we’ve been able to expand this project to include anyone in the city who doesn’t have a smoke detector or who needs their old one replaced with the ones we have that will last up to 10 years.

“Our goal is to have at least one working smoke detector in every house in the city of Russellville.”

The department will even go as far as placing them inside a home if the resident needs assistance.

“You never know when some wiring can go bad or a candle left burning can tip over and catch the house on fire,” Mansell said.

“I hate for these smoke detectors to just sit here at the station when they could be in someone’s house and potentially save a life.

“I don’t want to have a fire fatality because someone didn’t have a smoke detector to alert them and get them out of the house in time.”

Mansell added that anyone who might be concerned about potential fire hazards in their home or business can contact the fire department and trained officials will do a walk-through.

“We just want to make sure everyone is staying safe and being smart,” Mansell said.

To speak to someone about the smoke detector program or to have an inspection done, contact the RFD at 256-332-8765 and leave a message.