In conjunction with Lowes Corp., the Ohio River Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross has donated 500 smoke detectors to several local fire departments to give to residents.

The fire departments which received the smoke detectors are located in Vernon, Nile, Washington, Valley, Union Rush and Rarden townships in Scioto County.

The Jackson and Pebble township fire departments in Pike County also received smoke detectors for residents.

Those wanting a free smoke detector can call their local fire department to get one.

“But the fire department has to be involved in installing it,” local Red Cross Director Brett Lacy said. “We want to make sure the smoke detector works right and people know when to change the batteries in order to prevent a loss of life.”

Lowes and the Red Cross got the smoke detectors in the summer and planned to distribute them now.

According to the Red Cross, fires are the No. 1 disaster threat in single-unit houses in the country.

A house fire is reported every 79 seconds in the United States and someone dies every 135 minutes.

About 70 percent of house fire deaths result when no smoke detector or alarm is present.

The local Red Cross chapter is located in Portsmouth and serves communities in Scioto and Pike counties.

In order to help prevent house fires and save lives, the Red Cross can teach residents how to keep their family and homes safe.

For more information on Red Cross classes or any other information, call (740) 354-3293 or (888) 354-3293.

JEFF BARRON can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 236.