NILES — Niles City and Niles Township fire departments recently received kits of carbon monoxide and smoke detectors to give to residents through a state-funded program called MI Prevention.

Each department got 216 smoke detectors and 36 carbon monoxide alarms. Niles Fire Chief Larry Lamb and Gary Brovold, the Niles Township Fire Chief, encouraged residents in need to take advantage of the opportunity and pick up the devices. Those who need a detector can call the Niles fire station’s building inspection department at (269) 683-2374 or the township fire department at (269) 683-3311.

Per specifications, the detectors will have to be installed by local firefighters, who will do a survey of the home and complete a brief questionnaire — a short amount of time for a potentially life-saving device. The services are all free.

A smoke alarm can help residents avoid tragedy and disaster, Lamb said.

“We all watched the [Notre Dame] Church fire the other day and how fast fire moves,” Lamb said. “The more smoke detectors, the better, so we can be alerted and get people out.”

Lamb emphasized that the local fire departments work hard to assure that residents who need smoke detectors or carbon monoxide alarms can have access to them, even if they cannot afford them. Some of the detectors on hand are donated or purchased with Community Development Block Grant funding.

“Anybody that needs a smoke detector has no excuse. Give us a call,” Lamb said. “We will try to find a program for them, even if they buy their own and we [install] them. Both fire departments, as well as departments across the nation, are committed to making sure people are safe.”

Brovold added that if residents have questions or concerns about their smoke detectors to reach out to the fire departments. He said firefighters could help residents evaluate the devices to determine whether they need to be replaced.

Ideally, Lamb said residents should have a smoke detector in every level of their home and one inside each bedroom. The point is to be able to hear the detector if it is triggered.

Carbon monoxide detectors can be equally crucial for residents to have in their homes.

“We know just how important those are in our community, unfortunately by experience,” Lamb said. “We have done as much as we can to push those detectors out there.”

While some think it is best to put carbon monoxide detectors by their heater, Lamb encouraged people to put the alarm near where they are sleeping.

Brovold echoed this sentiment.

“If you are asleep in bed and it is going off in the basement, you are never going to hear the thing,” Brovold said.

Both the township and city fire departments seek to educate residents about the importance of fire safety year-round. Firefighters visit local schools and the Apple Festival each year with the goal of passing on valuable lessons that could help save lives.

With the donation from MI Prevention, Brovold and Lamb said the firefighters now have more tools to help prevent needless death from fires. They encouraged residents to reach out and take a small effort to protect their lives and homes.