Nassau to give smoke alarms to families that can't afford them

With Nassau County fire department officials responding to an increasing number of house fires in recent weeks, county officials announced a campaign Friday to distribute smoke alarms to families who may not be able to afford them.

In recent weeks, Nassau officials have responded to serious fires in East Meadow, Westbury and to a home on Washington Avenue in Garden City on May 6 that killed three members of a family inside, including an 18-year-old high school student.

To date in 2021, the county fire marshal's office has investigated about 100 fires, roughly the same as this time in 2020. But in the past several weeks there have been a sudden increase in serious house fires, county Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said.

"There's been various causes but the underlying thing has been that in several of those fires there were not working smoke detectors," Uttaro said in an interview Friday.

The fire marshal's office will provide free smoke alarms to anyone who cannot afford one and will coordinate with the local fire departments to install them.

Nationally, fires claim about seven lives daily, with almost two thirds of those deaths in homes with no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that failed to operate.

"That’s why it’s important to remind folks that while much deserved summer fun and outdoor activities are upon us, please take a couple of minutes to check your smoke alarm batteries or install smoke alarms if you do not have one," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said at a news conference outside the Public Safety Center Garage in Westbury.

Uttaro said fire officials have also responded to a high number of propane barbecue fires in recent weeks.

Fire officials Friday demonstrated how easily a grill fire can get out of control and the best ways to extinguish a blaze including shutting off the gas and closing the top of the grill. If those steps don't work, baking soda or a portable fire extinguisher can be used to knock down a grill fire, Uttaro said.

Correction: Michael Uttaro is an assistant chief fire marshal for Nassau County. An previous version of this story had an incorrect title.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.