Put a Finger On It

Statistics show that approximately 95 percent of homes have smoke alarms. However, roughly one third of those alarms don’t work because the batteries are dead or missing, or the smoke alarm itself is too old. This means thousands of residents in Austin have a false sense of security. They know they have smoke alarms, but do they know if the alarms will work?

After the 13 fire fatalities the city experienced in 2002, something had to change. The Austin Fire Department wanted to prevent as many fire deaths as possible. Luckily, Special Audience Marketing, a local advertising firm, generously volunteered time and resources to assist AFD. The result is the “Put A Finger On It!” campaign, along with the smoke alarm mascot Freddy. Every smoke alarm should have a test button, and every resident in town should have a finger. The trick is to make the connection. Put a finger on the test button to be sure the alarm will work. The campaign already has played a role in saving lives, and it has just started. Please click on the links below for more information.

Special Audience Marketing (SAM) of Austin worked with AFD to develop the "Put a Finger on It" campaign and its mascot, "Freddy." Freddy is now available to other fire departments for use in fire prevention campaigns. More information can be obtained by viewing SAM's Fire Prevention Campaigns website.