“Delivering for Safety” Campaign
In Minooka, pizza and smoke alarms have something in common. Working smoke alarms in your home could earn you a free pizza!
The Minooka Fire Protection District and Fat Boyz Pizza in Minooka have teamed up for the “Delivering for Safety” Campaign.
Here’s what you do. On the third Tuesday of every month, starting in January 2008, order a pizza to be delivered to your home from Fat Boyz Pizza in Minooka. Be the 5th caller after 5:00pm. If you are a Minooka Fire District resident, your pizza will be delivered, accompanied by the firefighters of the Minooka Fire District. Once your pizza arrives, allow the firefighters to check your smoke alarms and if all of the alarms are in working order, you will receive a gift certificate for a FREE large 1-toppping pizza on your next Fat Boyz pizza order.
Sixty-five percent of reported home fire deaths occurred in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms save lives and protect against injury and loss due to fire. Studies have shown, smoke alarms play a vital role in reducing deaths and injuries from fire and have contributed to the almost 50% decrease in fire deaths since the late 1970s. It is estimated that 95% of U.S homes have at least one smoke alarm.*
“Our goal is 100% of our residents to have working smoke alarms,” says Minooka Fire Chief Al Yancey, Jr. “Smoke alarms alone won’t prevent fire death but it will give you a chance to get out of your home before toxic smoke kills you. Our pizza and smoke alarm program is designed to educate our residents about the benefits of smoke alarms and give a reward for those who maintain the smoke alarms in working order,” says Yancey.
Here are a few safety tips:
- Test your smoke alarms once a month.
- Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm twice a year, or as soon as the alarm “chirps” warning that the battery is low.
- Never “borrow” a battery from a smoke alarm. Smoke alarms can’t warn you of fire if their batteries are missing or have been disconnected.
- Smoke alarms don’t last forever. Replace yours once every 10 years.
- Plan regular fire drills to ensure that everyone knows exactly what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. Hold a drill at night to make sure that sleeping family members awaken to the sound of the alarm. Some studies have shown that some children may not wake up to the sound of the smoke alarm. Know what your child will do before a fire occurs.
By participating in this community pizza and smoke alarm program, the Minooka Fire District and Fat Boyz Pizza are helping to ensure that local residents are safer in their homes. If you have any questions about this campaign, please contact Cindy Wilson, Fire and Life Safety Education Coordinator at (815) 416-0339, Monday-Friday 8am to 4pm.
* Information obtained from the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) web site at www.nfpa.org.
