Smoke Alarm Program

The City of Lenoir Fire Department will install smoke alarms for free for residents who qualify, assuming the department has smoke alarms available.

Call the Fire Department at 757-2190 to request smoke alarms.

Residents who don’t have smoke alarms and can’t afford them can call the Fire Department and request smoke alarms. Firefighters will come to their residence, determine the number of smoke alarms that should be installed in the home, and then install them. The National Fire Protection Association recommends placement of at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home (including basements), in every bedroom, and outside each sleeping area.

The City uses grant funding to purchase some smoke alarms. To comply with the grant, City firefighters must install in the smoke alarms. The department does not just give out smoke alarms.

Did You Know?

  • Working smoke alarms decrease the chances of dying in a home fire by 50%.
  • In today’s fires, families have an average of 2 minutes to get out of their homes once the smoke alarm sounds.
  • 120 fire deaths occurred across North Carolina in 2020, and many of those homes did not have working smoke alarms.
  • 3 out of every 5 home fire deaths across the nation result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
  • Dead batteries cause 25% of the smoke alarm failures; hardwired power source problems cause 7% of the failures. 

Safety Tips

  • Place a smoke alarm on every level of your home outside sleeping areas.  If bedroom doors are kept shut, place a smoke alarm in each bedroom.
  • Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when they hear it.
  • Prepare and practice an escape plan – know at least two ways to get out of a room, crawl low under smoke and plan where to meet outside.
  • Keep smoke alarms clean by regularly vacuuming over and around it.  Dust and debris can interfere with the smoke alarms operation.
  • Install smoke alarms away from windows, doors, or ducts that can interfere with proper operation.
  • Never remove the battery from or disable a smoke alarm.  If your smoke alarm is sounding “nuisance alarms,” try moving it away from kitchens or bathrooms.
  • Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.