AURORA, Ill., Sept. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- First Alert,
the most trusted brand in home safety*, Campus Firewatch and the
Michael H. Minger Foundation have selected 25 organizations to
participate in the second annual Town/Gown Fire Safety Community
Service Project to raise awareness about fire safety. The
initiative pairs firefighters with local colleges and universities
to raise awareness among students and community members across the
country about the importance of working smoke alarms and help to
improve fire safety in homes.
The chosen organizations represent an array of entries from
coast to coast, and each organization will receive 100 donated
smoke or carbon monoxide (CO) alarms from First Alert to install
with students during home safety visits in at-risk communities
during the fall semester:
Colorado
Colorado Springs Fire Department
|
North Carolina
Wilmington Fire Department
Durham Fire Department
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|
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Connecticut
Willimantic Fire Department
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North Dakota
Fargo Fire Department
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|
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Georgia
Griffin Fire-Rescue
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Oregon
Corvallis Fire Department
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|
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Idaho
Bannock County Rural Fire Department
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Pennsylvania
Factoryville Fire Company
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|
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Indiana
Fort Wayne Fire Department
West Lafayette Fire Department
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South Carolina
Charleston Fire Department
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|
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Iowa
Waldorf University
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Tennessee
Chattanooga Fire Department
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|
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Kentucky
Richmond Fire Department
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Texas
San Antonio Fire Department
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|
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Mississippi
Lafayette County Fire Department
Oktibbeha County Fire Department
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Virginia
Danville Fire Department
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|
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Nebraska
Lincoln Fire Department
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Vermont
Castleton Fire Department
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|
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Nevada
Truckee Meadows Fire Department
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Washington
Spokane Fire Department
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New York
City of Cortland Fire Department
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West Virginia
Morgantown Fire Department
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"The Town/Gown project promotes fire safety education and
collaboration between students, fire departments, universities and
their surrounding communities," said Tarsila Wey, director of marketing for First
Alert. "By partnering with Campus Firewatch and the Michael H.
Minger Foundation, we are positively impacting the long-term safety
for students and communities."
College students living independently for the first time with
new academic challenges and social distractions may not view fire
safety as a top priority. The Town/Gown Fire Safety Community
Service Project encourages students to learn about and take
responsibility for their personal safety, while also supporting the
local community.
"By helping to install alarms in their communities, the students
see first-hand the importance of working smoke and CO alarms," said
Ed Comeau, founder of Campus
Firewatch. "They are learning fire safety by doing fire safety, and
making their communities safer at the same time."
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a
fire is reported every 24 seconds on average across the country and
fire departments responded to 1.3 million fires in 2016. Three of
every five home fire deaths result from fires in homes without
smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms according to the NFPA. In
the fires where a smoke alarm was present, but did not operate,
half of them had missing or disconnected batteries.
"Teaching simple steps about fire safety paired with community
outreach can not only help prevent tragedies, but also improve the
well-being of the whole community," said Gail Minger, president of the Michael H. Minger
Foundation. "We are thrilled to offer students this unique
volunteer opportunity through the Town/Gown Fire Safety Community
Service Project."
To learn more about fire safety, visit the First Alert website
at www.firstalert.com, the Campus Firewatch website at
www.campus-firewatch.com or the Michael H. Minger Foundation at
www.mingerfoundation.org. You also can follow the Town/Gown Fire
Safety Community Service Project on Twitter and Facebook via
#TownGownFire.
*First Alert Brand Trust Survey, February 2018 – Results are based on the
responses of 1,000 adults, ages 25 and older, living in
the United States who completed an
online survey, February 15-19, 2018.
Results are statistically significant at a 95 percent confidence
level and can be generalized to the entire adult population in
the United States within those
statistical parameters. For more information or a copy of the
complete survey results, contact Tim
Young at LCWA: 312/565-4628 or
tyoung@lcwa.com.
About Campus Firewatch
Campus
Firewatch is a social entrepreneurship focused on
helping to save lives at our nation's campuses. For more
information, visit
http://www.campus-firewatch.com. Facebook | @campusfirewatch
About Michael H. Minger Foundation
The
Michael H. Minger Foundation was formed following the death of
Michael Minger in a residence hall
fire. The Foundation focuses on fire safety for all
students, including students with special needs such as physical,
sensory and cognitive disabilities. More information is available
at www.mingerfoundation.org or on Facebook
at facebook.com/mingerfoundation.
About BRK Brands, Inc.
BRK Brands, Inc.
(Aurora, IL), is a fully owned
subsidiary of Newell Brands. For 60
years, BRK Brands, Inc. has been the manufacturer of First
Alert®-branded home-safety products, the most trusted
and recognized safety brand in America. BRK® Brands
designs and develops innovative safety solutions including
Tundra™ Fire Extinguishing Spray, Onelink by First Alert
smart home products, a comprehensive line of smoke alarms, carbon
monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers and escape ladders to protect
what matters most. Such products are also marketed under the
BRK Electronics® brand, The Professional Standard for
the builder and contractor audiences. BRK Brands, Inc.
products are found in more than 30 countries worldwide. For
more information, visit
http://www.firstalert.com,
http://www.brkelectronics.com or
http://www.newellbrands.com.
About Newell
Brands
Newell
Brands (NYSE: NWL) is a leading global consumer
goods company with a strong portfolio of well-known brands,
including Paper Mate®, Sharpie®, Dymo®, EXPO®, Parker®, Elmer's®,
Coleman®, Marmot®, Oster®, Sunbeam®, FoodSaver®, Mr. Coffee®,
Rubbermaid Commercial Products®, Graco®, Baby Jogger®, NUK®,
Calphalon®, Rubbermaid®, Contigo®, First Alert®, and Yankee
Candle®. For hundreds of millions of consumers, Newell Brands makes life better every day, where
they live, learn, work and play.
This press release and additional information about
Newell Brands are available on the
company's website, www.newellbrands.com.
©2018 BRK Brands, Inc., Aurora,
IL 60504. All rights reserved.
First Alert® is a registered trademark of The First
Alert Trust, Aurora, IL 60504.
BRK Electronics® is a registered trademark of BRK
Brands, Inc., Aurora, IL
60504.
NYSE is a registered service mark of NYSE Group, Inc.
Contacts: Lindsey Lucenta
or Rebecca Raudabaugh
L.C. Williams & Associates
P: 312-565-3900 or 800-837-7123
E: llucenta@lcwa.com or rraudabaugh@lcwa.com
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SOURCE First Alert