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HomeLocal / Area NewsFIREFIGHTERS INSTALL 500 SMOKE DETECTORS IN TAMINA COMMUNITY AFTER FATAL FIRE

FIREFIGHTERS INSTALL 500 SMOKE DETECTORS IN TAMINA COMMUNITY AFTER FATAL FIRE

The Johnson and Mitchell family’s lives were changed forever when an early morning fire broke out on Friday, May 12th in their home in the historic Tamina Community located in southern Montgomery County. The fire claimed the lives of 2 young brothers and their sister, and injured 7 other family members and police officers trying to rescue the trapped children.
The community, along with its emergency responders were devastated at the loss of these three beautiful children and in response, Montgomery County emergency personnel have been working together with members of the media and business community to promote fire safety, not only in the Tamina Community, but throughout Montgomery County.
Needham Fire Chief Kevin Hosler and Montgomery County Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams have announced a safety initiative aimed at making free smoke alarms available to those that could otherwise not afford or maintain them.
Saturday, beginning at 9am, Montgomery County Firefighters gathered at the Tamina Community Park located at 19500 Main. Fire Safety Demonstrations and children’s activities took place that morning at the park, while teams of firefighters fanned out across the community offering to install free smoke alarms and educate residents on home fire safety. The goal of this ambitious effort is to help insure that a tragedy such as this does not visit itself upon the community again, as firefighters toward installing working smoke alarms with long life batteries in every bedroom in every home in the Tamina Community.
While it seems a daunting task, with over 200 homes in the community, Smoke Alarm manufacturers Kidde Inc. and First Alert along with the Insurance Council of Texas have already stepped up and donated hundreds of smoke alarms, all equipped with lithium batteries designed to last up to 10 years. By installing these smoke alarms in every bedroom and hallway, we can increase the level of fire safety in a home for the next decade, making a real difference in the community.
National statistics show that each year on average, more than 3000 lives are lost to fire in the United States, with another 15,000 left injured, with the vast majority of deaths and injuries occurring in home fires.
Since 1980, when the American Fire Service first began advocating for the placement of smoke alarms in homes, the number of homes equipped with at least one smoke alarm has steadily risen and 90% of homes today have at least one smoke alarm. While the number of homes equipped with smoke alarms has risen, those same statistics show that in 3 out of 10 of those homes, the smoke alarms will not function due to missing or dead batteries.
This is the case in most fatal home fires and Montgomery County is no exception, as nearly all fatal fires in the last 10 years have occurred in homes that either did not have any smoke alarms or the smoke alarms did not function due to dead or missing batteries. Small children and senior citizens are at the highest risk, with those over the age of 85 four times as likely to die in a home fire as the average adult.
While teams of Firefighters will be going door to door, other emergency personnel will host safety demonstrations at the Tamina Community Park and there will be activities for children and an opportunity to meet local firefighters. Smoke alarms will also be available at the park for those who live outside of the area. Tamina residents who will not be home Saturday, and residents outside of the community can call the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office or go by their local fire station to request smoke alarms and a home safety evaluation.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, having a working smoke detector in your home cuts your chance of dying in a home fire in half. Smoke detectors older than 10 years should be replaced as they tend to lose their effectiveness over time.
Rental homes are required to be equipped with working smoke alarms in every bedroom and bedroom hallway. Under State Law, Landlords are required to provide working smoke alarms and tenants are responsible for replacing the batteries as needed and for notifying the landlord if they need replacement or repair.
For more information on how your business or group can support this important fire safety initiative please contact the Needham Fire Department at (936) 321-0999 or the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office at (936) 538-8288. The Needham Fire Department is accepting cash donations as well to offset the costs involved.


Firefighters and volunteers install 500 smoke detectors in Tamina

Body camera video shows police officers’ dramatic rescue attempt at fatal house fire.

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