FINDING SOLUTIONS: Fire department, YMCA team up to provide smoke detectors
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Two children died earlier this month in a house fire in Augusta.
Unfortunately, it happens more than it should. Augusta has one of the highest home fire risks in the country. In 2023, we ranked ninth out of 150 cities.
Since 2022, Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen says seven people have died in house fires in Augusta.
In nearly all of those cases, firefighters report no working smoke detectors in the home. This is why the Augusta Fire Department is teaming up with and finding solutions to ensure every home has a smoke detector.
Three weeks ago, Pamela Williams got the hardest news of her life. Two of her granddaughters died in an overnight house fire on Moore Road while they were sleeping.
The fire department says there were no smoke detectors in the home to warn them of the danger. Ty’Asia Clifford was just 10 years old. Her sister Aubrey was just 7.
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“As a mom, my heart just broke, as a community member and knowing these are sisters and children of a family. Knowing this happened in a home because there was a lack of fire alarms, my heart just broke,” said Catie McCauley, chief operating officer of the Family Y of Greater Augusta.
The Family Y is a nonprofit that has a lot of touchpoints with families in need and often at high risk for home fires.
This is why an Augusta firefighter came to her with an idea to possibly save kids like Aubrey and Ty’Asia.
“Chief Thomas Stokes was volunteering with the Family Y, going out and installing beds in homes for children through their program: A Place to Dream. While he was out, he noticed there were a lot of homes that didn’t have smoke alarms,” said BJ McGuinn, public education specialist at Augusta Fire Department.
Through the Place to Dream program, they’re delivering and setting up beds and cribs for children in need. They often find other needs while they’re in their homes. One need they’re going to start looking for is smoke detectors.
McCauley said: “If there’s any way possible for the Family Y to be able to step in and potentially save a life or put fire detection along with these beds, it is life-changing, and we want to be a part of that.”
They’ll connect those families with the fire department, and the fire department will come to install smoke detectors free of charge.
“We have this program, but some people may not be aware of it. The people getting these beds may not be aware of it, but partnering together gets us into many more homes to be able to help people who need them,” she said.
Turning existing pipelines to the community into partnerships to serve Augusta and hopefully save lives.
If you or someone you know needs a smoke detector call (706) 821-2909 and ask for BJ Mcquinn, and they will schedule someone to come out and install a smoke detector. You can also donate to the Place to Dream program by clicking HERE.
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