The Frankfort Police and Fire Departments would like to remind Frankfort residents of the Safer Seniors Program.
According to Police Chief Troy Bacon, “The Safer Seniors Program was developed by Fire Chief John Kirby in partnership with the Frankfort Police Department in 2012. The intent of this program is to provide tips and suggestions to seniors to bolster and improve home and personal security and to mitigate potential hazards. Seniors who want to participate in the program will meet with a representative from the police and fire departments who will schedule a home visit to perform a safety assessment of their residence”.
During the visit, representatives from the police and fire departments will complete a safety assessment checklist indicating what safety measures are already in place and noting specific actions residents can take to make their homes safer from fires and criminal activity. The department representatives will leave a copy of the safety checklist with the homeowner.
According to Fire Chief John Kirby, the Safer Seniors Program is designed to take care of small risks before they become big dangers.
“Independence means so much to our senior community members. By conducting safety checks of seniors’ homes, we can help them recognize any dangers and reduce the chances of small problems becoming large ones. During home visits, firefighters will look for potential hazards such as cords stretched across a floor that are a trip hazard, too many plugs in one outlet, or heaters that are too close to furniture. Prevention of fire and crime is our goal,” Kirby said.
Police officers will also complete a portion of the safety checklist to point out options that will keep senior homeowners more secure including items such as better door locks, trimmed shrubs, or lights on timers.
“Over the years the Safer Seniors Program has lost momentum. Through this press release we hope to re-energize the program and help our communities most vulnerable strengthen and improve their home security and safety,” Kirby said.
Senior citizens 65 years and older interested in having public safety representatives visit their homes to perform safety checks for fire and safety hazards, may call the Frankfort Fire Department at (765) 654-4329 and request an appointment. Visits will be conducted every Thursday afternoon from 1-3 p.m.