Arlington Heights' The Katie Project offers free smoke detector checks

Arlington Heights residents can soon get the batteries in their smoke detectors checked or replaced for free through "The Katie Project," a community initiative to make fire safety easy.

Volunteers from the village will be doing smoke detector checks from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 1, said Trustee Joe Farwell.

Farwell launched "The Katie Project" last fall after a fire killed three women inside a Dunton Avenue home that lacked an operable smoke detector. The initiative is named after Farwell's cousin who died in a home fire in the 1970s.

Any Arlington Heights resident, whether living in a home, apartment or condo is eligible to participate in the program.

To register, email your name, address and phone number to nkluz@vah.com or call the Village Manager's office at (847) 368-5100. You can also sign up for the program at the Fire Department Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at Station One, 300 E. Sigwalt, Arlington Heights.