Fire Department to Hold Community Outreach Events

The Greenville City Fire Department (GCFD) will hold two community outreach events this week. The first is a walk-up training event this Friday, April 27 in conjunction with National Walk at Lunch Day. GCFD firefighters will hold a “Sidewalk CPR” event, offering free hands-only CPR training from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the entrance to Falls Park. Hands-only CPR (CPR with just chest compressions) has been proven to be as effective as CPR with breaths in treating adult cardiac arrest victims and can double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival. The American Heart Association has recommended hands-only CPR for adults since 2008. According to Tristan Johnson, GCFD’s Community Risk Reduction & Education Coordinator, the purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the benefit of hands-only CPR and to help increase bystander response rates in cardiac emergencies. “We hope that downtown visitors and employees will celebrate National Walk at Lunch Day by walking to our event,” said Johnson. “By giving up just a few minutes of your day, you can help prevent unnecessary deaths and possibly save the life of a co-worker, spouse, parent or friend.”

On Saturday, April 28, GCFD will partner with the American Red Cross to conduct a smoke alarm blitz in the Pleasant Valley community. GCFD and Red Cross personnel will meet at 510 Old Augusta Road at 9 a.m. and will canvass the neighborhood to check homes for working smoke alarms, help residents develop a fire escape plan and provide additional fire safety information. For homes without working smoke alarms, they will install 10-year lithium battery smoke alarms for free. According to Johnson, GCFD is committed to the goal of ensuring that every home in the city of Greenville is properly protected by working smoke alarms and to-date, GCFD and its partners have installed more than 1,000 free smoke alarms throughout the city of Greenville.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) research shows that almost two-thirds of all home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Research also shows that having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half. City residents can request a smoke alarm by submitting a Smoke Alarm Request Form. Additionally, residents who believe their smoke alarm is not functioning properly can call 232-2273 to request a smoke alarm appointment.