MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — The Moores Mill Volunteer Fire Department (MMVFD) is offering residents a little help with an important home appliance, smoke detectors.

The fire department said it is participating in the Alabama Fire College’s Get Alarmed, Alabama! Program and is offering both free smoke detectors and free installation for the detectors.

The program is a partnership between InTouch LLC, the Fire College, and the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office. The smoke detectors themselves are provided by Vision 20/20.

MMVFD Public Information Officer Ethan Fitzgerald said the detectors are a vital part of saving lives in case of a fire.

“I believe it’s three in every five house fire-related deaths come down to houses that don’t have working smoke detectors,” he said. “To me, that tells you everything you need to know.”

Fitzgerald said he thinks everyone should take making sure they have working smoke detectors seriously.

“I mean, people do take it seriously and some people don’t take it seriously and seconds count with fires,” he said. “You don’t want to know the science behind how fast a house can become fully involved, you know. So having any sort of way to get yourself out of the house and alert the fire department is important. So, people need to take that seriously.”

MMVFD said anyone signing up for an install should be patient as it may take time to install detectors for everyone who needs one.

The department said it generally recommends changing smoke detectors in their home completely every 10 years and changing batteries whenever there is a time change. They also said that people should have a working smoke detector in almost every room in their homes.

For more information on how to sign up for a free smoke detector you can visit The Moores Mill Volunteer Fire Departments’s website here