Volunteers install smoke alarms in homes in Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - Starting early Saturday morning volunteers arrived at Douglass Community Center to knock on doors in the neighborhood to install free smoke alarms.

The annual event came after Christian Sheehan died in a house fire back in 2016. Now his family distributes alarms to homes in need each year.

"In 2016 unfortunately Christian Sheehan young man who was a college student died in a house fire in south west Champaign; his home didn't have any working smoke alarms. They formed a memorial foundation in their sons name and decided they wanted to go out and make sure that people who needed them had smoke alarms." said Champaign Fire Marshall, Jeremy Mitchell.

The Red Cross also helped at the event. Disaster Program Manager Julie Brandsasse says people won't have to replace these alarms for years to come.

"These 10-year smoke alarms have the battery imbedded in them so this is a smoke alarm that will last 10 years. You cannot take the batteries out of them." said Brandsasse.