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OFD receives grant to install smoke detectors

Sanam Sahni, For The Miami Student

The Oxford Fire Department (OFD) recently received a grant to install new smoke detectors in rental property units and single-family houses.

"We want to create safer apartments for students and those folks who live in single family houses," Doug Elliott, Oxford's city manager said.

These new electronic smoke detectors are good for detecting smoldering fires, according to John Detherage, OFD chief.

"It's relatively new technology compared to ionic smoke detectors," Detherage said.

After a 2005 house fire killed three Miami University students, OFD does not want anything like that to happen again, Detherage said.

"[There should be] no more deaths related to fire," Detherage said. With this new technology the fire department would also hopefully get early fire warnings, according o Detherage.

"It will make the community safer," Detherage said.

Detherage was the driving force behind this grant, according to Elliott.

"[Detherage] wanted to apply for this grant," Elliott said.

The grant was initially just meant for the rental property units but later it was decided to expand to single-family houses as well, according to Elliott.

Since OFD received permission to expand, 1,255 smoke detectors have been reserved for the single-family houses.

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"(The) original intent was just for apartments," Elliott said.

Miami sophomore Jasmine Sandhu said, "this makes me feel that I'm living in a safer community."

So far this plan is intended for the City of Oxford, but other cities have also embraced it.

"Other Fire Departments around the country had done similar things," Detherage said.

Sandhu said the plan is all upside, perhaps even for traffic.

"Maybe I will see fewer fire trucks on Oxford's streets now," Sandhu said.