Fire plan goal of phone calls

12/3/2002

In an effort to inform the public about the importance of having working smoke detectors and a home fire escape plan, the Toledo Fire Department will be calling every home with a phone in the city beginning today.

All of the homes with a phone in the 43605 ZIP code, located in East Toledo, will receive the first round of calls. Seven children and a man died in three fires in that part of the city this year. Throughout the city, 10 people have died in fires this year.

The department enlisted television anchor Jerry Anderson to do the 20 to 30-second recording. The message will ask if the residence has working smoke detectors and if the residents practice a home escape plan. Residents will be encouraged to call the department's fire prevention bureau at 419-936-2390 for information on how to apply for a free smoke detector if they don't have one. Fire officials want every home to have smoke detectors and an escape plan.

Lucas County Emergency Medical Services owns the system, which has 20 phone lines connected to a computer that automatically makes the calls. The system will leave the message on an answering machine.

If no one picks up, it will try back three times. It will keep a record of which homes were called.