Statement on south side fire, importance of smoke alarms

Early Friday morning, a fire occurred at an 8th District home costing one person their life and injuring three others. My thoughts are with the friends and family of the individual who passed, as well as all those impacted.

It was discovered that there were no working smoke alarms on the property, and this event provides a sobering reminder about the importance of having working smoke alarms in your home, as smoke alarms are proven to save lives. I want to thank the Milwaukee Fire Department and Milwaukee Police Department for their efforts in responding to this incident, and for the community outreach that will follow.

Milwaukee firefighters will go door-to-door in the neighborhood the fire occurred and offer fire safety education materials, check for working smoke alarms, and install new alarms as necessary.  Installing free smoke alarms in residences is a component of Project FOCUS (Firefighters Out Creating Urban Safety).

You should check your smoke alarm on a monthly basis, and if yours is not working, you can request one to be installed by calling the Milwaukee Fire Department using the Smoke Alarm Hotline at (414) 286-8980.

Smoke alarms are an early detection and life-saving device in the event of a fire. It can give you and your family those extra seconds that count when faced with smoke and flames, so make sure your home is protected today.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.