Mount Prospect group distributing free smoke detectors

The Mount Prospect-based Illinois Fire Safety Alliance is awarding free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to 14 Chicago-area fire departments in an effort to improve public safety and reduce the number of fire and CO deaths. Northwest suburban participants include the Bartlett Fire Protection District and the Mount Prospect Fire Department.

The 1,600 smoke and 250 CO alarms that are slated for distribution were provided by Operation Save a Life, a partnership between ABC 7 Chicago and Kidde, a manufacturer of fire safety equipment. The alarms are effectively impossible to disable and require virtually no maintenance during their 10-year life spans. The most common reason smoke alarms are not working is because the batteries either expired or were removed. Ten-year alarms present a solution to that problem. Illinois ranked second in the nation, trailing only New York, for fire deaths during the year 2017.