
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 13, 1994                   TAG: 9410130076
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: KIMBERLY N. MARTIN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FIRE INSPECTIONS OFFERED

Trina Cline wanted to buy a house in Roanoke's Old Southwest as an investment. Since her March purchase, she has funneled her time and money into painstakingly renovating her spacious yellow frame house in the historic neighborhood.

A visit by the Fire Department on Wednesday morning may help Cline protect that investment.

Two firefighters walked through Cline's home, pointing out potential fire hazards, such as a blow dryer plugged into a lamp and a gas lawnmower stored near her furnace in the basement. The inspection was free and came with a gift from the firefighters: a smoke alarm.

"I'll install it this weekend," promised Cline, who had one smoke alarm that she hadn't installed.

The firefighters' inspection was part of an initiative by the Fire Department to step up its efforts to prevent fires in its "core area," which includes neighborhoods in all quadrants of Roanoke that are served by fire stations 3, 5 and 6. In 1993, the greatest number of fires were in these older sections, said acting Fire Chief Billy Southall.

"The age of the structures is a very important factor," Southall said. ``In the older sections, you have old fuse panels, which are more susceptible to fires.''

Ninety percent of fires nationwide start as the result of carelessness or improper maintenance of electrical outlets, he said.

That carelessness is part of what he hopes the inspections will help curb.

There are 16 things that firefighters will check in an inspection, including trash accumulation, flammable liquid storage and baby-sitter information. The firefighters will advise residents how to improve their conditions, but compliance, like the inspections, is voluntary.

"We'll tell you how you can improve, but it's just a recommendation," said Lt. John Peterson.

Starting today, firefighters will distribute fliers to homes in these areas, encouraging people to call to schedule an inspection of their home. The $4,000 pilot program, which paid for 750 smoke alarms to distribute initially, coincides with National Fire Prevention Week and the onset of winter, when most fires occur.

On-duty firefighters will do inspections from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but emergency calls will remain their first priority, Southall said.

"If the end result is that we save one home - or more importantly, one life - from a fire, the program will be a success," Southall said.

by CNB