Fire safety checks make a difference

by Suzanne Wilder
Staff Writer

Saturday, Ohio University students tried to help their fellow students by traveling through Athens to test smoke detectors in off-campus student housing.

The One Alarm Project, sponsored by The Future Health Care Administrators and the Red Cross Athens County, 100 S. May Ave., fell on Make a Difference Day, a national day of service. Jackie Bick, president of FHCA, said many different student groups volunteered to participate, such as fraternities, the recreation club, and honors groups.

Make a Difference Day is a day of service that occurs every year in October. The day was created by ••USA Weekend•• in order to encourage acts of service in the United States. Since its creation in 1991, many different service groups— such as the Boys Scouts, Keep America Beautiful and the Salvation Army — organize events nationwide.

Although 100 people signed up to participate, about 60 people actually were involved with testing fire alarms, Bick said. She said students split into groups of two or more and went door-to-door, asking to check smoke and fire detectors. She said they visited about 1,425 houses, just barely missing their goal of visiting 1,500 houses.

Duracell donated the 700 batteries used to replace any old ones in smoke alarms. Volunteers also received brochures about fire safety from the Red Cross and fire stations to give to people.

Bick said that although the weather was not great, she was pleased with the volunteer turnout and the results.

“We ended up helping a lot of people. A lot of people didn’t know if their batteries worked,” said Kendra Dewberry, a sophomore retail merchandising major who participated.

“Everyone we approached let us test their batteries,” said Laura Merry, a senior interpersonal communications and psychology major. She participated with an interpersonal communications honors group.

Merry said while the project was important, it would be better if more people volunteered. She said then apartment complexes could also be tested for fire safety.

Becky Sinram, a senior recreation management major, said she found out about the event through a friend who was volunteering. She said that an organization she is in, the recreation club, tries to contribute to the city of Athens as much as they can. She said this was an important way to help the community.

“It was a lot of fun. People were friendly,” Sinram said.

FHCA decided to organize the event after doing it last year and have decided to organize the event every year to keep students safe in their houses. Bick said officers in the group tried to pick a weekend when the most people could participate, so they avoided Halloween and Homecoming weekends. She said they were unaware it fell on Make a Difference Day until a few weeks before.