Smoke detectors honor victim of Collinsville apartment fire

COLLINSVILLE -- Fire Chief Pete Stehman hopes the more than 200 smoke detectors his department is receiving in honor of a woman who died in an apartment fire will prevent other deaths.

Mamie Lynn Doolittle, 48, and her soon-to-be-stepson, 6-year-old Caiu Rodriguez, died in a fire at their Collinsville apartment in February 2008. Her estate recently settled a lawsuit against the apartment owner for $450,000.

Caiu's estate recently settled a suit with the owner for $950,000.

The law firm that represented Doolittle's estate -- Schoen Walton Telken & Foster of East St. Louis -- is donating $2,500 to the Collinsville Fire Department to buy smoke detectors.

Immediately after the fire, Stehman implemented a new smoke-detector program, called "Leave Them Safe." Under the program, if Collinsville firefighters are called to a home for any reason, they don't leave without making sure it has a working smoke detector. If necessary, firefighters provide batteries or a free smoke detector.

"The idea is that when we leave, they're safe," Stehman said.

The chief said the program has relied on donations for buying smoke detectors. He said the donation from the law firm will allow for the purchase of 208 higher-quality detectors that have a 10-year warranty.

"We're very appreciative," Stehman said. "It's a very appropriate memorial to the victims of the fire. This donation could save other lives."

Troy Walton, the attorney for Doolittle's estate, said "because of what the Collinsville Fire Department put together after this incident, we thought it was an opportunity to run with it and help them get that program off the ground, and do something pro-active."

"It isn't going to change the world, but if it saves one life or gives one family even the opportunity or chance to respond to an alarm, that's better than what my client got and Caiu Rodriguez got," he added.

Investigators found no evidence of a smoke detector in Doolittle's apartment, despite a state law that requires landlords to put one in apartments.

Walton alleged that the landlord never installed a detector in the apartment. The defense had argued that one was installed, but Doolittle disposed of it. Defense attorney James Hodges said he couldn't comment for this story because of a confidentiality agreement.

The fire started in the area of a sofa.

"The speculation was that she must have dropped a cigarette or done something like that," Walton said.

"The bottom line is, the reason you need smoke alarms -- the reason the Illinois legislature requires landlords and home builders to install smoke detectors -- is because fires happen. People leave candles burning, people leave food cooking on the stove. Its goal is to warn you so you have an opportunity to get out, and they weren't afforded that opportunity," he said.

The five other apartments in the unit had smoke alarms, but none worked, either because the batteries were dead, the batteries weren't replaced or the batteries were pulled away so the detectors would no longer chirp.

Stehman, who had recently become the fire chief, immediately made sure every smoke detector in the apartment complex was replaced. He had been planning to start the "Leave Them Safe" program later in 2008, but he instead launched it just a few days after the fire.