A smoke detector is credited with saving an Austin couple’s lives.

Sunday, December 05, 1999

A smoke detector is credited with saving an Austin couple’s lives.

Austin Fire Chief Dan Wilson said one of two smoke alarms in the house occupied by Don and Barb McCollar at 810 10th Ave. NW was working and when it activated, it roused the couple from their sleep and allowed them to escape unharmed.

Austin firefighters were called to the McCollar residence at 6:46 p.m. Wednesday.

According to the fire chief, the cause of the blaze was combustibles stored too close to a heating appliance.

In addition, a hole in a furnace pipe the size of a quarter may have also contributed to the fire.

The fire was largely confined to the basement of the dwelling, but smoke damage was reported throughout the residence.

The McCollars, who were unavailable for comment at press-time, have lived in the house since April. The home is heated by a gravity-flow furnace.

Lonnie Skalicky owns the home rented by the couple and Wilson credited the landlord with complying with the law and using "common sense."

"Landlords are required by law to provide smoke alarms in all residential property they own and rent to others," Wilson said, "but it just makes common sense to have working smoke alarms in homes to both save lives and to summon fire suppression that can save property, too."

However, the renters had removed the battery from the basement smoke alarm, because it activated when they used a clothes dryer.

Only the upstairs smoke alarm in their bedroom was equipped with a battery and, fortunately, it activated.

"The smoke alarm saved their lives," Wilson said.

Nobody is more energetic about touting the benefits of smoke alarms and other fire prevention measures than Wilson.

He is presently working with the Mower County chapter of the American Red Cross in the "Smokebusters 2000" project to equip every residence in the county with a working smoke alarm.

Now, Wilson has another reason to praise smoke alarms.

According to the fire chief, "You can’t smell when you are asleep." Thus, the loud noise from a smoke alarm is noisy enough to rouse home occupants from their slumber and warn them to seek safety.

The Austin Fire Department routinely visits multiple-family rental properties to inspect them for working smoke alarms.

Landlords can request the service of the firefighters, but renters must request their landlords to ensure smoke alarms are working, according to Wilson.

Also, Wilson is a firm-believer in having renters insurance, which the McCollars didn’t have.

"Too often too many people think their landlord’s structural insurance covers their loss, too," Wilson said. "It doesn’t. Homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover the renter’s property, but renters insurance is such a cheap investment, that every renter should have it."

"We see something like this (having no renters insurance) happen a couple of times a year, where renters have no insurance and they will lose it all. It doesn’t have to happen," he said.

Wilson said a check of insurance adjusters reveals renters insurance can cost as little as $80 to $100 a year and much less if combined with other coverage.

Wilson, married and the father of children, practices what he preaches about fire safety. His home has no less than six smoke alarms, including two hard-wired alarms linked to each other on different levels of his home. When he and his wife travel, he takes a smoke alarm with him to leave on a motel room dresser while the family sleeps and insure extra-protection from fire dangers.

Because most fires in Austin occur in rental properties, Wilson is adamant about convincing landlords to honor the law and install alarms in their rental properties. That’s why, Austin firefighters visited 1215 buildings where there were three or more occupants in rental units to see if the buildings were equipped with alarms.

For more information about fire safety, call the Austin Fire Department at 433-8105.