Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Free Detectors & Holiday Fire Safety with Galesburg Fire Dept.

In this episode of Galesburg’s Morning News, Fire Chief Randy Hovind (26-year veteran) and Captain Ben Caruana explain why working smoke alarms reduce your chance of dying in a home fire by up to 60%, share real Galesburg stories where alarms gave families the critical seconds they needed to escape (and the tragic cases where they were missing), and detail the city’s highly successful Red Cross partnership that provides and installs free 10-year sealed smoke detectors for any resident — putting GFD in the top five departments in northwest Illinois. You’ll also learn: Exactly how many alarms your home needs and where to put them The current Illinois law requiring 10-year sealed units Simple monthly testing and maintenance rules How to build and practice a fast, effective fire escape plan Must-know holiday fire-safety tips for trees, lights, candles, cooking, and space heaters If you’ve been meaning to check your smoke alarms, this 17-minute interview will get it done today. Get your free smoke alarm + installation: ci.galesburg.il.us (Fire Department section) [caption id="attachment_690150" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Galesburg Fire Chief Randy Hovind (left) and Captain Ben Caruana stopped by WGIL on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, to talk life-saving smoke alarms and the free installation program – because working detectors really do save lives. (WGIL)[/caption]