The Home Depot Fire Safety Event and Giveaway

There’s a scene in the classic and perennially hilarious movie A Christmas Story that can always elicit a nostalgic chuckle from my mother-in-law.  No, it’s not the part where the mom turns little brother Randy into the abominable snowsuit, although, that usually gets a giggle out of everyone.  It’s the part where the infamous “leg lamp” gets delivered and the camera cuts to a shot of the woefully overloaded, sparking and sizzling electrical outlet stuffed with what looks like a dozen plugs for the lamps, appliances, the radio, you name it. It reminds her, she says, of her own childhood home at Christmas (and everyone else’s for that matter), with a similarly burdened electrical outlet.

Today, we know a lot more about electrical safety and fire prevention than most did back then. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t more to learn, especially at this time of year when folks like to deck their halls, walls, and any other available surfaces with strings of lights, rows of candles, illuminated villages, and animated holiday characters. That may make the season merry and bright, but it also means there’s a need for extra precautions to keep your home and your family safe. According to a 2011 report from The National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 240 home structure fires that began with Christmas trees in 2005-2009. Now that’s neither holly nor jolly!

Fortunately, The Home Depot is hosting a fire safety event this coming Saturday, December 1^st at their Waterbury, CT location. This event is part of a larger initiative known as the “Be a Hero, Save a Hero” campaign, which educates Americans on the simple steps they can take to help protect their family from a fire and reduce the risks for firefighters.

As part of this initiative, The Home Depot is partnering with Kidde – the world’s largest manufacturer of fire safety products – and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to donate $1 million worth, or 50,000 units, of Kidde battery-operated smoke alarms powered by 10-year Lithium Ion batteries to fire departments across the nation on Saturday, December 1st.

Kidde will also make donations to two non-profit organizations when customers log on to www.alarmpledge.com and promise to ensure their home has enough up-to-date and working smoke alarms. The pledge also encourages families to create and practice a home fire escape plan.

This FREE event will take place at stores across the country, and right here in our own backyard. See details below:

Where: The Home Depot, 575 Bank Street, Waterbury, CT 06708 (ph. 203-757-7206)

When: Saturday, December 1st

What: The Home Depot Fire Safety Event will include:

• Kids’ workshop from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (indoors)
• Kids will be able to build a picture frame (children participating should be old enough to hold a small hammer but it’s okay if they need a little parental assistance 🙂 )
• Check in with the Service Desk at the front of the store to find out the exact location of the workshop
• Fire Safety Event from 11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. 
• There will be a fire truck to explore and firefighters on hand to greet the kids
• Special guests including Sparky the Fire Safety Dog
• Donation ceremony for 2,500 smoke alarms to a local fire department at 11:00 a.m.
• Opportunity for children to write/color thank you letters for their local firefighters
• Smoke alarm maintenance tips and fire escape plans from The Home Depot and Kidde experts
• Kidde will share information on their Be a Hero, Save a Hero campaign

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY: Next week, Mandy will be back to tell you everything she learned at The Home Depot Fire Safety Event, but in the meantime, I have lesson #1 for you: Did you know that a smoke alarm needs to be replaced every 10 years? When was the last time you replaced yours? Well, you’re in luck because today, we are giving away a Kidde smoke alarm to one lucky reader. Details below.

 

• PRIZE: One (1) Kidde Battery Operated 10-Year Lithium Smoke Alarm
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One (1)
• TO ENTER: Leave a comment with the words “The Home Depot” and tell us what your favorite holiday family tradition is.  Please make sure to leave your email address when you comment so that we can contact you if you are the winner.  The email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner and will never be distributed or sold. Entries submitted without a valid email address will not be considered valid entries and will be excluded from the drawing. Only one (1) contest entry per household. 
• TIMING: The giveaway starts NOW and ends at 11:59 EST on Sunday, December 2, 2012. One (1) winner will be selected at random from all valid entries. The winner will be notified via email and announced on Facebook. Please make sure you check your junk mail folder for our email. If no response is received from the winner within 30 days, a new winner will be chosen.
• No purchase is necessary to win. Odds of winning are based on the number of entries. This contest is open to United States residents 18 and older. 

Thank you to The Home Depot for providing the smoke alarm for this giveaway. All opinions are 100% my own.

The Home Depot partnered with bloggers such as me to help promote Fire Safety Awareness Month. As part of this promotion, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used. The Home Depot believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.