Cranston Giving Free Smoke, CO2 Alarms To Seniors, Other Residents

CRANSTON, RI — The Cranston Fire Department is offering free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for elderly residents and others who may be in need.

Interested seniors and those in need with homes built before 1976 may contact the fire prevention office at 401-780-4016.

Cranston Fire Prevention Captain Armond Niquette said the money to purchase the smoke alarms came through a grant Lt. Scott Weller and a retired firefighter applied for with the federal government. He praised Weller's hard work in securing the grant, and said there is more work to be done even with the grant secured.

"It takes a few weeks just to get everything in order about the community," Niquette said regarding the application process. "Then you have to keep a binder of all the detectors you put in. There are a lot of hours of logging in the paperwork."

Piquette said the detectors are being used for homes built before 1976 because they are battery-powered. State law requires all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to be hard-wired on any house built after 1976. Still, for those who can benefit from the detectors, Niquette urged those residents to apply.

"They're very critical for early detection, especially CO2, because it's a silent killer," Niquette said. "We've gone to houses where people are feeling sick, and the levels are through the roof by the time we get there."

Any Cranston resident who wishes to apply for free smoke or carbon monoxide (CO) alarms may do so by calling Kim O’Brian at 401-780-4016

Correction: The previous city portal linked to a form that is no longer functional and has been removed.

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