11/14/12 - The Brighton Area Fire Authority was presented with a safety award for its smoke alarm campaign during a ceremony Tuesday night. The University of Michigan Trauma Burn Center presented the 2012 Leland Gayheart Fire Safety and Prevention Award in recognition of the authorityâs program launched in late 2011 that aims to make sure all residents in Brighton have working smoke alarms in their homes. Deputy Chief Fire Mike Evans says theyâre making progress but there is still a lot of work to do and they intend to continue until every home has a working smoke alarm. The award is given in honor of a 23-year-old firefighter from Lake Orion who died from burns sustained in an accident. His family came together with U of M to provide funding as an endowment that recognizes firefighters in communities across the state for injury prevention efforts. Lieutenant Lauren Brookins says it all started with the department wanting to make sure every home had a working smoke alarm but the program gradually grew with crews checking alarms and even knocking on doors in neighborhoods after fires to help individuals understand the importance of them. Brookins tells WHMI it has now morphed into model program for the state. Members of the Brighton Area Fire Authority stressed the importance of having working smoke alarms even more so at the ceremony following a pair of tragedies on Tuesday, noting that a 2-year-old Howell Township girl died from burns sustained in an overnight fire at a mobile home and a 73-year-old Livonia woman was killed in a house fire after helping her teenage grandsons escape. Evans and Brookins are pictured at left. In addition to a plaque, the Authority will receive $500 to continue education efforts and will go toward the purchase of more batteries and smoke alarms, which should be replaced every ten years. (JM)
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