Over the past few weeks, I, along with others, have responded to some residential house fires in Butler County.

One fire was at 3:30 a.m., the other at 7:30 a.m. Both fires were contained to the area in which they started. However, both homes sustained heat and smoke damage throughout.

Both residences had working smoke detectors. Both families were sleeping, and both families credit their lives to those working smoke detectors.

Damage remained minimal because of the early alert.

The Butler County Fire Chiefs Association started its free-smoke-detector program six years ago. Over the past six years, we have distributed more than 864 smoke detectors to residents of this county free of charge.

We are able to do this because of generous donations from the general public, businesses and industries.

We would be unable to do this without their support.

To keep this program alive, we are turning to everyone again for support. We are down to the last two cases and have ordered more.

We ask people, businesses and industries to consider making a tax-deductible donation to the BCFCA Smoke Detector Program to keep this lifesaving endeavor going.

It is with contributions that we all can help save a life.