New Hope, MN – At the start of the New Year, West Metro Fire began offering free home safety surveys to residents. During the survey, members of the fire department perform a walk through with homeowners to identify safety hazards and provide smoke detectors or fire extinguishers, at no cost, to residents who need them. Back in January, a New Hope family was able to save their home by putting out a basement fire using the portable fire extinguisher they received after the home safety survey. West Metro’s Deputy Fire Marshal told reporters that she thought, “if they wouldn’t have had the home safety survey, he wouldn’t have had a fire extinguisher. He wouldn’t have known how to use a fire extinguisher, and when to use one.”