10/24/09: Mayor Brown & BFD Distribute 600 Smoke Detectors in Wake of Fatal E. Delavan Fire

BY NICKI MAYO YNN BUFFALO
“Look baby, look it’s a smoke detector,” said Buffalo’s Natalie Oyoyo pointing out the safety device to her son Nakari. The four-year-old looked at the detector, shrugged and laughed, but Oyoyo says this is no laughing matter. She says she wants to teach her son Nakari how to safely escape a fire.
“He needs to know that it’s important that if a fire breaks out to listen for the fire alarm. To inform someone if no one is around to hear the smoke alarm and then get out immediately,” said Oyoyo holding her son’s tiny hand.
Natale Oyoyo and her son Nakari are among the hundreds that came out for free smoke detectors at Buffalo Fire Department’s Engine #23 on Collingwood and Bailey. It’s part of the city’s fire prevention month campaign.
“Having working functioning fire prevention at home is really important and even with our older daughter we’re working on an escape route,” said Buffalo’s Scott Schoenfelder holding his two-year-old son Duncan. Schoenfelder says with two small children in the house it’s imperative to have an escape plan.
“It’s good protection for your family and children in the house. Things do happen sometimes,” said Donald Murphy picking up his free smoke detector at Engine #23.
Destructive, deadly things like the fire that gutted an East Delavan house Thursday. Steven Salley and Jonah Mitchell died in the fire that left William Jackson fighting for his life at ECMC.
“The two deaths being fresh in people’s minds and someone fighting for their life in the hospital I think people realize how important it is to have working smoke detectors,” said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. Engine #23 is one of three locations handing out 600 free smoke detectors around the Queen City. “We get them paid for either through grants, corporate donations and placing it in the city budget,” said Mayor Brown. With the memory of the Thursday house fire that claimed two lives, officials say now is the time so families to check their fire alarms.
“There were smoke detectors in the house. One had run out of battery. And the other one the battery was dead,” said BFD Deputy Fire Commissioner Patrick Lewis. Buffalo Fire officials say a smoke detector is only as good as the batteries you put in them.
“They put them in their remote controls for their TVs or video games and so on. It’s more important that those batteries stay in those smoke detectors,” said Deputy Fire Commissioner Lewis.
The National Fire Prevention Association reports there were no smoke detectors in 40% of the fatal house fires in 2008. Buffalo Fire officials hope the free smoke detectors will raise safety awareness and prevent another deadly fire like East Delavan.
“Did they both die? [yes] See now that’s a tragedy. We home that doesn’t happen again to anybody in the county,” Donald Murphy lamented as he walked away.