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Snohomish County couple gets new smoke detector legislation passed in Olympia

MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Greg “Gibby” Gibson is the reason Gerry and Bonnie Gibson are at Betty Smith’s house in Marysville onFriday.

Three years ago, Greg Gibson died in a fire in the house he shared in Shoreline. There weren’t any smoke detectors, so on Friday, Smith is getting a smoke detector.

Smith is the Gibsons' 3,001st recipient of a free smoke detector. Hers vibrates the bed; it is specifically for people who are hard of hearing.

The 3,000th installation was Thursday. The Gibsons been all over the Puget Sound and Snohomish County in particular doing installations.

“This car has 100,000 miles on it, and it was new when Greg died. It was a 2015,” said Bonnie Gibson.

The American Red Cross supplies the detectors while the Gibsons handle the manual labor, the instructions and the lobbying—repeatedly—at the Legislature in Olympia.

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“We saw the tremendous need that was out there as we began installing in all different situations and we knew there needed to be something bigger,” Bonnie Gibson explained.

The Greg “Gibby” Gibson Home Fire Safety Act passed both the state House and Senate and is now sitting on Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk. It sets new rules about ensuring smoke detectors are in every home and apartment and imposes a $5,000 fine if they aren’t and someone is injured or killed as a result.

“We think [Greg’s] star would be shining pretty bright knowing that this is all being done in his honor,” Bonnie Gibson told us.

Smith didn’t know Greg Gibson's story before the Gibsons came over Friday, yet now he’s the reason she’ll never have to worry in the terrible event of a fire.

“Your son would be very proud of you,” Smith said as she hugged Greg and Bonnie Gibson goodbye.

If you'd like the Gibsons to install a smoke detector at your location, you can visit their website by clicking here.