A Gwinnett County family who lost their home to a fire this week is thanking the firefighters who installed their smoke alarm three years ago.
Some of the same firefighters, who not only gave them the smoke detector but helped install it in the home on Dogwood Street in Duluth in Dec. 2016, were among those who responded to the blaze.
“It’s amazing to know the stuff we do on an everyday basis, that we really find as just being second-nature, is something that is so impactful,” says Gwinnett Asst. Fire Marshall Matthew Phillips.
He believes it saved the lives of all six family members who were awakened when the smoke detector went off and had enough time to escape before part of the house collapsed.
“Obviously that was a significant fire and if they had not had that early notification, part of that house could have landed on somebody,” Phillips tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish.
Last year the department handed out and installed some 5,000 smoke detectors to Gwinnett residents as part of the program, “Prevention 365”, which works to provide the life-saving devices to anyone who needs one.
“This is something that is of minimal cost to our residents because we’re able to get a lot of donations,” says Phillips.
The fire overnight Tuesday started in the basement of the home, but the cause is still undetermined. The American Red Cross was called in to provide assistance the five adults and one child.