OAK RIDGE, N.C. – Four months after NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana woke up to the sound of their home’s smoke detector going off, the driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS visited the Oak Ridge Fire Department to thank the firefighters that helped saved his home.
“If it weren’t for these guys, I wouldn’t have a house,” said Harvick who brought his 18-month-old son Keelan to tour the fire station on Thursday with Chief Steve Simmons. “We didn’t think anything was actually on fire, because we couldn’t see any flames and figured the smoke was coming from the fireplace.”
Members of the Oak Ridge Fire Department were dispatched to the Harvick family’s home in the early morning hours of November 27, 2013. With the help of thermal imaging cameras, the unit was able to locate the fire, which was in between the basement ceiling and main level of the house.
“Chief Simmons and his guys knew exactly what to do and were able to contain a small mess that could have been a very big mess,” said Harvick. “We’re very fortunate.”
“I cannot think of better example of how smoke detectors save lives than Kevin and DeLana’s story,” said Simmons. “They have a very nice home and lots of nice things, but the best investment they made in that house was the smoke alarm.”
Harvick and the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet team will host the five members of the Oak Ridge Fire Department who responded to the fire at his home for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
Chief Simmons and four additional firefighters will serve as honorary crew members in appreciation of their efforts last November.
The No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet will also carry a special decal this weekend to recognize the members of the Oak Ridge Fire Department who responded to the emergency call at Harvick’s house last year.
When Harvick and his wife woke up to the sound of a smoke alarm going off, they couldn’t find the source of the smoke filling up the basement.
The Oak Ridge firefighters were able to locate and put out the fire, and save the rest of the home. The event is a testimony to the importance of smoke detectors in the home – a message the Oak Ridge Fire Department puts emphasis on year-round.
The decal features the Oak Ridge Fire Department’s badge and the words “Smoke detectors save lives.” It will be located on the C-post of the car.
Harvick and his family are currently living with his mother-in-law, Joyce Linville, in nearby Kernersville, N.C., while repairs continue on their primary residence.
