Operation Alert and Alive was established April of 1988 by Firefighter Tom Kafury to provide smoke detectors at no cost to Senior Citizens in Cambridge and Cambridge Township. The program evolved to include the replacement of smoke detector batteries later the same year.
In recent years, changes have been made to the program to provide smoke detectors and batteries to any homeowner that needs them, and could not otherwise afford them.
Although it is the responsibility of landlords to provide smoke detectors to their tenants, in situations where life safety is an issue, the department will provide a detector to the tenant.
Since the creation of Operation Alert and Alive 26 years ago, the Cambridge Fire Department has answered more than 2000 calls for smoke detectors and/or batteries.
Operation Alert & Alive uses no taxpayer dollars, and is completely funded by donations.
