Residential fires and fire-related injuries in the City of Springfield have fallen to their lowest numbers in ten years, according to the Springfield Fire Department. The department credits what it calls its "most aggressive community risk reduction campaign to date."
The SFD launched Project RED Zone in April with the goal of providing residents with tools and resources they need to reduce their risk of fire and to know what to do if a fire occurs.
According to the department, in 2017 there were 218 home fires in Springfield, down from a high of 288 in 2008. There were 12 fire-related injuries c0mpared to a high of 20 in 2009. No one died last year as a result of a fire in their home in Springfield. But one man died from injuries sustained when gasoline fumes ignited at a gas pump in the city. Five people died in fires in Springfield in 2016.
But Springfield Fire Department Chief Dave Pennington says work still needs to be done to be sure every home has a working smoke alarm. Department statistics show that in 2017 smoke alarms were installed in just 52% of homes where fires occurred. Of those, they were operational in just 55%.
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