HUNTINGTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) — On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the Marshall Football Team, the West Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office, the American Red Cross, the City of Huntington, and the Huntington Fire Department worked together to install 118 smoke alarms into 60 residences in the Fairfield community of Huntington. All residents who enrolled in the Fairfield Community Smoke Alarm Installation Program received a free smoke alarm with a ten-year battery life.
Prior to installation, the football team received instructions from several individuals including Ken Tyree, the West Virginia Fire Marshal, about the installation process. Tyree provided the team members with tools and information to help educate members of the community about fire safety. The team was also instructed to speak with each family about safe evacuation plans in the event of a house fire.
Homeland Security Cabinet Secretary, Jeff Sandy, also spoke to the team, assuring them that their legacies will far exceed their football record. “You are helping save lives today, “says Sandy. “Marshall football has always brought people together, and that’s what it’s doing today—bringing people together to save lives.”
Those involved in the event then met in the parking lot of the stadium and separated into groups, transported by vehicles provided by the West Virginia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the West Virginia State Police, the State Department of Senior Services, Cabell County Office, and others. Equipped with a list of addresses, smoke alarms, and fire safety information, the team members and other partners worked for over 3 hours to make sure every enrolled resident received their free smoke alarms.
State Fire Marshal, Ken Tyree, who played an integral role in organizing this event, looks forward to the positive impact the installation of smoke alarms will have on the safety of the community. “I’m so grateful for everyone’s involvement in this event. Coach Huff and his wife Jessica, Special Assistant Bartrum, and the entire Marshall University Football family were wonderful to work with, as well as the great people from the Huntington community,” says Tyree. “We are honored to have shared this experience with such dedicated professionals within the City of Huntington and the Red Cross Community to prevent and protect lives from the devastation of fire.”
Each citizen that received the free smoke alarms had an opportunity to engage with members of the football team, as well as members of the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Huntington Fire Department, and other first responders during the installation process.
“The altruistic nature of the team leaders, the players, and all other individuals involved in the event was moving,” says Cabinet Secretary Sandy. “I spoke to many of the community members, and each of them expressed great appreciation for the event.”