The holiday season is a time for family, refection and good will. You can take simple steps now to help assure a safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for your family, and your local fire department firefighters are glad to help.

If you don’t have detectors, every Barry County fire department in Barry County will send firefighters to your home to install both smoke and CO detectors at no cost to you. Applications are available at your local fire department or go to www.bcunitedway.org to get one.

Experts urge homeowners to check the batteries on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors twice a year and replace them when needed. Please also keep in mind that detectors are just like a small appliance that is on duty all the time. If your detectors are over 10 years old, they need to be replaced.

“We would much rather visit your home to install detectors than respond to a fire and find no working detectors that could have averted a tragedy,” Delton Fire Chief

Gene Muskovin said.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas formed when carbon-containing fuel is not burned completely and can cause death by asphyxiation.
The gas may come from a clogged chimney, corroded or disconnected water heater vent pipes, gas or wood burning fireplaces, a cracked or loose furnace exchange or an improperly installed kitchen range or vent.

Those with a battery powered CO detector, should make sure it beeps when battery power is low. No one disputes the value of a smoke detector, but they won’t alert a family to a fire unless they have good batteries. The programs are sponsored by generous grants through Spectrum Health Pennock Foundation, Southside Pediatrics, and Hastings Kiwanis.