RFD offers free smoke detectors, weather radios

The Russellville Fire Department still has available several weather radios and smoke detectors – free to a good home.

The Franklin County Fire Association raised money for the weather radios to be distributed across the county, and the RFD still has a limited number available for people in the Russellville service area. Chief Joe Mansell said a weather radio is an effective early warning device that can benefit not only the one household where the radio is located; it can have exponential impact.

“Usually if one weather radio gets out in the community, more than likely that’s going to affect five or six people,” Mansell said. “When a weather radio goes off, somebody is going to start calling and saying, ‘Hey, we have bad weather coming in.’”

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition to the weather radios, the RFD has a number of smoke detectors available. Mansell thanked the mayor and city council for their support in urging RFD to do “whatever we can do to try to make this city as safe as we can.” The smoke detectors were purchased by the city – about 250 of them free to anyone in Russellville who needs one.

“We want a smoke detector in every house in the city of Russellville,” Mansell said. Time and again, he has seen smoke detectors be the crucial factor in homeowners realizing their home is on fire and being able to escape quickly. He strongly recommends at least one device near the bedrooms of the home – since many fires happen overnight – and said some houses might require an additional smoke detector, depending on size and layout.

To express interested in a weather radio or smoke detector, call the RFD at 256-332-8761. Mansell can be reach at ext. 11.