On Saturday in Austin, a local mechanical company will be volunteering time to make sure some people in need have efficient — and safe — heating systems.

Harty Mechanical will be participating in the “Heat’s On” program, which will provide free furnace checks in about 25-30 homes of elderly, low-income and disabled residents.

The program will be in its first year in Austin, but it was started 23 years ago in the Twin Cities by the Minnesota Mechanical Contractors Association and a local pipefitters union, MMCA marketing director Paul Berg said.

“It’s about awareness,” he said. “Cleaning furnaces is a huge thing.”

Berg said clean, smooth-running heating systems are both more energy efficient and safer for residents.

There will be five “Heat’s On” events running Saturday, Berg said, with mechanics volunteering time in the Twin Cities, Rochester, Mankato, St. Cloud and Austin.

In each area, volunteers will gather early for a breakfast before hitting the streets. Furnaces needing new parts or repairs will be taken care of at no cost to residents, and smoke detectors will also be provided when needed.

In Austin, seven teams of two mechanics each will aim to get to the 25-30 homes and maybe more if there’s time, Harty service manager Ken Roche said.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “We’re going to make sure everything is firing right and safely.”

Roche said he’s also excited to partner with the Austin Fire Department, who will help provide smoke detectors to homes without them.

“It’s kind of thrilling to see our local fire department want to be part of it,” Roche said.

Chief Dan Wilson said having a smoke detector is crucial for homeowners — a point that was evident Wednesday, when a fire in an Austin home without detectors led the chief to say the family was “lucky” to make it out safe.

“You don’t think about (having a smoke detector),” Wilson said. “You take it for granted.”

According to the National Fire Protection Association, 40 percent of all fire deaths in homes between 2003 and 2006 occurred in properties without detectors, while another 23 percent occurred at homes in which alarms were present but not functioning.

Furnace safety is also very important, the NFPA reports — heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires during the months of December, January and February, and trails only cooking equipment in home fires year-round.