Program to Increase Seniors’ Home Safety

For the past year, Jack Carey has been delivering meals to senior citizens in their homes, and he has made some disturbing observations.

“I would see things that I thought were dangers,” said Carey, 62.

So when Carey learned about a new city endeavor called Project SHIP--for Senior Home Inspection Program--he signed up. Now he and about 40 other volunteers are working to eliminate home safety hazards and provide basic fire safety education to seniors.

The program is the only one of its kind in Orange County, said Martha Werth, a fire education specialist who is coordinating the project, which will send out community volunteers to do free home inspections.

Seniors older than 65 are three times more likely to be injured or die in a fire than the general population, Werth said, and Huntington Beach’s senior population is about 30,000 and growing.

The volunteers, who range in age from high school students to retired people, are taking a 15-hour training course and will graduate July 18.

They will then start making inspections and must do at least four a month to remain in the program.

During the training classes, the volunteers are learning how to identify and eliminate fire hazards and how to prepare homes for earthquakes, as well as basic first aid and general fire safety.

On Thursday, for instance, volunteers practiced using fire extinguishers so they can teach others how to put out small blazes. During the home inspections, residents will also be taught how to recognize fire hazards and maintain smoke detectors.

Project SHIP, Werth said, is a joint effort of the Fire Department and the city’s senior outreach program, which provides services to the frail elderly. The 400 seniors now being served through the outreach program will be the first to have their homes inspected, she said.

The program is also seeking donations to purchase smoke detectors for the homes of program beneficiaries.

Werth said another volunteer training class is scheduled to begin in January. “The more volunteers we have, the more inspections we can do,” she said.

Information: (714) 536-5419 or (714) 536-5569.