Firefighters install free smoke detectors in neighborhood of fatal house fire
Orlando, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Orlando firefighters drill a few screws into the wall, and give Jackie Robinson and her family a critical lifesaving tool: a smoke detector.
“I thank god for the fire people coming out here and putting these things up here to make sure we're safe,” Robinson said.
Firefighters went door-to-door Monday, installing free smoke detectors in the neighborhood where an 8-year-old girl died in a house fire on Sunday. Her grandmother is still in the hospital with severe burns.
A small memorial sat next to the mailbox, outside the charred shell of the house. It was a grim motivator for Robinson.
“I hate that it happened to the little girl for us to get our eyes opened, you know?” Robinson said.
OFD Asst. Chief Paul Plaugher said when they install an alarm, they also check the house for other risks.
“We also do a safety check looking for any potential fire threats they have and offer them solutions to correct them,” Plaugher said.
Orlando Fire is aiming to keep tragedies like this from happening in the future. They say it's not just today, anytime a person can schedule them to come to their home and install a smoke detector for free.