BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal (SFM) has announced its selection as a federal Fire Prevention and Safety Grant award recipient.

FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant award, totaling $55,000, will allow the SFM to boost its smoke alarm inventory for Operation Save-A-Life efforts by 5,000 units.

Operation Save-A-Life partners the SFM with local fire departments and districts to provide free smoke alarm installations for families who need them.

State Fire Marshal Chief H. 'Butch' Browning expressed how he felt about the award as well as the success of Operation Save-A-Life, saying, “We are thrilled that our Operation Save-A-Life program was considered worthy of the support of this grant, our number one fire safety message is always about the life-and-death difference smoke alarms can make when faced with a fire emergency. This grant will help us continue to back that message up with action in the form of putting long-lasting smoke alarms in the hands of families that need help protecting themselves from fire.”

In addition to having working smoke alarms, the SFM also emphasizes the importance of having planned and practiced escape routes for the home.

Click here to register for a free smoke alarm and to learn more about Operation Save-A-Life.