SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — A safety-minded young Spokane Valley resident took home a valuable lesson from school this year, and his family is a lot safer because of it.
After Jayden Sahmoyer came home after attending a Spokane Valley Fire Department junior fire marshal program at school, he made a concerning discovery.
His home didn’t have enough smoke alarms.
“We didn’t have any in our rooms,” Jayden said. “We’re supposed to, just in case a fire starts in our rooms.”
That’s a potentially hazardous issue, and one that’s particularly jarring for a boy who witnessed a serious trailer fire a few years ago.
According to the Spokane Valley Fire Department, working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half.
When he raised the concern to his mom, she reached out to the fire department for help.
“When we heard about the program for them to come out (and install alarms), I jumped on it,” Stephanie Compton, Jayden’s mom, said.
“They made sure we have enough alarms, made sure they’re not outdated,” Jacob Compton, Jayden’s dad, said.
When firefighters visited, it turned out all of the alarms were outdated.
Fortunately, the department has a program dedicated to getting smoke alarms to families who need them.
According to the department, crews make more than 400 visits per year and install more than 800 smoke alarms per year alongside 150 carbon monoxide detectors, not counting their smoke alarm blitzes in the spring and fall.
Fire department engineer Sean Wagner was one of the presenters at Jayden’s school, and he came back to help with the installation of new fire alarms.
“I really believe in the elementary education programs we teach,” Wagner said. “I tell the kids we’re here to educate them, but we’re also really trusting them to go home and talk with the adults in the home… because that message needs to get out to everyone.”
Wagner also helped walk Jayden and his family through what it takes to put together a plan for a fire, including practicing what they would do in the event of one.
In total, the Spokane Valley Fire Department reaches about 3,300 second and third graders each year with their fire education programs.
