DETROIT (WXYZ) — Barbara Boykin and her husband Terrell have lived in their home on Detroit's west side for 34 years.
A number of senior citizens reside in quiet Martin Park, and it's where the Boykins raised their children and spend time with their grandchildren.
But there was one thing the Boykins were always missing.
"We haven't had an operating smoke detector — like ever," Barbara told 7 Action News.
But all that changed Thursday morning when Detroit Fire Department Commissioner Chuck Simms and Chief James Harris joined a team of firefighters in the launch of Operation Save a Life.
Harris said the Boykins are not unlike a lot of people who don't have working smoke detectors for various reasons.
"People take it for granted," said Harris, who installed the Boykin's very first smoke detector. "The average person doesn't think about a fire until it happens to them or it happens to a neighbor."
Firefighters also set up a carbon monoxide detector in the couple's home.
And for the rest of the day, firefighters went door to door offering and installing smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to about a hundred homes where someone was present.
The city of Detroit is offering the safety devices to residents at no charge.
"We want to educate our citizens and make sure they're safe," Harris said.
If Detroit residents want more information about when Operation Save a Life will be coming to their neighborhood, they should reach out to their district manager or contact their neighborhood block club president.
Details about the program can be found on the city's website.
