The Honolulu Fire Department said it has teamed up with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1186 to continue the HFD’s Smoke Alarm Installation Program. IBEW volunteers and HFD members will install smoke alarms in approximately 100 senior citizens’ homes until Friday.

“We are grateful, as the partnership with the IBEW will help us put more smoke alarms in seniors’ homes,” said HFD Fire Chief Kenneth Silva. “We are now calling this our Smoke Alarms for Everyone (SAFE) Program, as our goal is to ensure all homes are equipped with smoke alarms. We are excited as awareness and interest in the SAFE Program is growing. Our current focus is still on senior citizens, as this group is at higher risk for injury from home fires.”

The fire department said national statistics indicate that the home fire death rate for people over the age of 65 is nearly twice the national average. The risk nearly triples for those over 75; after age 85, that risk increases to four times the national average.

The SAFE Program's purpose is to install smoke alarms in homes without working smoke alarms and educate residents on the importance of maintaining their smoke alarms. The SAFE Program began during Fire Prevention Week 2008, and approximately 600 smoke alarms were installed. It continued in September 2009 with the installation of an additional 100 smoke alarms through a community partnership with the Hawaiian Homestead Papakolea Community and the State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.