''Get Alarmed Montgomery County'' Off to a Good Start

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas -- It was a beautiful Saturday morning as Firefighters from across the County set out to make a difference in the lives of Montgomery County residents, offering to install smoke alarms and replace batteries in homes, especially those at greatest risk. National statistics reveal that children and the elderly are at highest risk of dying in home fires, with those over 85 years of age 4 times as likely to die in a home fire than the average adult.

Caney Creek Firefighters block walked in the Sommerset Estates subdivision, the site of the most recent
tragic fire where two small children and their great-grandmother were lost when a fire broke out in their
kitchen while they slept. Firefighters began on the very street where the fire occurred, pausing at the still boarded up home to reflect on the devastating loss.

As they continued their walk, word soon spread and residents began to gather, asking them to come to
their homes throughout the subdivision. Firefighters replaced batteries in existing smoke alarms and
added new long-life smoke alarms where none were present, especially in bedrooms where small
children slept and the hallways nearby.

In the City of Conroe, Firefighters teamed up with the Red Cross and walked door to door in areas
where they found numerous homes without working smoke alarms. Many of these homes had elderly
residents or small children living in them. In all, Conroe Firefighters installed 239 new smoke alarms
and replaced batteries in 30 more where the batteries were either dead or missing. In the Magnolia area,
firefighters distributed 190 smoke alarms, while crews from other County Departments held similar
efforts aimed at making smoke alarms available to anyone who needs them.

All through the month of October, Firefighters across the County have been promoting fire safety in
schools and by meeting and speaking with local residents, and this Saturday was the culmination of
many months of planning and effort to improve fire safety for Montgomery County residents.

Chief Leonard Mikeska, President of the Montgomery County Fire Chief’s Association said it best when
he stated, “We do a good job in the schools, but people are dying in their homes.”

“Get Alarmed Montgomery County” is a County-wide effort aimed at promoting fire safety and
reducing the risk of loss of life to fire, especially for our most vulnerable citizens. The program is
sponsored by the Montgomery County Fire Chief’s Association, a 501 C-3 non-profit organization, and
is available to residents year round.

Donations large and small are welcome, and if your group would like to assist, please contact the
Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office or you can send donations directly to the association. The
address for the Montgomery County Fire Chief’s Association is P.O. Box 1331, Conroe, Tx 77305.

If you own your home and cannot afford smoke alarms, or need help installing alarms you already have,
you can go by your local fire station or call the Fire Marshal’s office at 936-538-8288.

If you are renting your home, State Law requires that your landlord install working smoke alarms in
every bedroom and in the hallways serving them. Once the alarms are installed in rental property,
tenants are responsible for replacing the batteries. If you own rental property or are renting and have
questions, please contact the Fire Marshal’s office for assistance.

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