Richard Weizel, STAFF WRITER
Published: 01:03 a.m., Saturday, May 1, 2010
BRIDGEPORT -- When 17-year-old Danielle Walker ordered a cheese pizza Friday night from Domino's for her younger brother, cousin and herself, the hungry teen could not have imagined the delivery would end up with a firetruck pulling up to her house, and the city's fire chief, the chain's local franchise owner and a horde of camera crews and other media descending upon her home on Dogwood Drive.
She also didn't count on her father, Dean Brown, who doesn't even like pizza, driving up at exactly the same time.
As the teen slowly opened the front door, fire officials asked if she had ordered a pizza.
At first, Brown said no, he was just getting home from work and had no idea what they were talking about or why they were there.
"Uh, um, yes," the teen finally blurted out. "I ordered it," she said, looking scared, and not sure what to say as she saw the spectacle of firetrucks, city cars and camera crews parked in front of her home. Glancing at her father, who was also making his way up the walkway, Danielle at first kept the door about three-quarters closed.
"Sorry for all the commotion, but we're here to give you a free pizza if you let the firefighters check your home's smoke detectors to make sure they are working," said Jim Mumma, franchise owner of Domino's on Main Street, who came up with the idea of delivering free pizzas when he ran a Domino's in Savannah, Ga., as a way of checking whether smoke alarms are working, and promoting fire prevention and safety. "We just want to make sure you are safe," he told the teen.
Letting the fire crews in turned out to be the right decision, one that could end up saving the family's lives. None of the home's smoke alarms were working, and firefighters installed several throughout the house.
Then, Danielle, her 12-year-old brother and 9-year-old cousin got to eat their pizza for free. That part made even her father happy. "It sounds like a good idea, I just had no idea what was going on," Brown said.
"I was hungry and ordered the pizza, then all these firetrucks and people showed up and I was really scared. I couldn't imagine what was going on," Danielle said after the inspection. "But it's a good thing they're doing this because we didn't know we needed new smoke alarms, and we also get to eat the pizza for free."
That's the whole idea behind Friday night's program that could continue throughout the summer to ensure people have functioning smoke alarms and fresh batteries to keep them working.
The pizza delivery promotion is also part of the Safe Homes program, run by Safe Neighborhoods AmeriCorps Partnership in Bridgeport, that has installed more than 25,000 smoke detectors in the city at no charge to homeowners since it was established four years ago. Fire officials say the program has saved the lives of 77 families who experienced fires and were saved by smoke alarms installed under the program.
"We think this is a great idea. It's going to save lives by giving us the chance to install new smoke alarms and replace outdated batteries," said Fire Chief Brian Rooney. "There aren't many things more important in preventing death from fires than functioning smoke alarms, and this new aspect of the program is a terrific way to reach even more people."
When off-duty firefighters Bill Boroskey and Eric Resko walked up to the home of Cliff and Maribel Green on Marion Street, the couple's 23-year-old daughter, Cheryl, had no idea her father had even ordered pizza.
"Oh my God, what's going on? I just got home from work and I wasn't aware the fire department delivered pizzas," Cheryl Green said, smiling, when the firefighters came into the house with a couple of pizzas and started checking smoke alarms. After her father explained what was happening, and with all three smoke alarms working, Cheryl said she fully supports the program.
`It's a great idea, and I'm glad the smoke alarms are all working all right," she said. "You also can't beat free pizza ... and I'm getting really hungry."
So was Chelsea Brown, and her 12-year-old brother, Daniel Louis, who were stunned when firefighters joined Mumma at their front door on Elm Court to advise them that if they agreed to a smoke alarm check, the pizza would be free. When firefighters found one of the smoke detectors needed a new battery while others in the home were working fine, Brown said she liked the program and expected it would save lives. Fire officials also praised her for having two working fire extinguishers in her home.
"At first when I saw the fire engine, I thought there might be a fire," Brown said. "But I knew everything was all right when whey walked up the steps holding a pizza."
Firefighters who volunteered their time Friday night from 6-10 p.m. to take part in the program said they loved helping the program.
"When we fight fires we're always seeing people on the worst days of their lives," Boroskey said. "It's a great feeling being out here tonight having fun and helping people to prevent the kinds of tragedies we're forced to battle, often because there was no working smoke alarm."