Harrisonburg firefighters hit the streets Thursday, trying to prevent a tragedy like a house fire that displaced three people early Wednesday morning.
Crews were not fighting fires, but instead, making sure neighbors of the fire are prepared in case it happens to them. The biggest message they portrayed was the importance of having functioning smoke alarms.
The burned home did not have working smoke detectors, something Katie Caler with HFD said is a matter of life and death.
"It is the key to making sure you get out alive," Caler said. "The way buildings are built these days... you just have so much less time than we used to have, and that is the number one defense, to let people know that something is happening and it's time to get out."