Red Cross Home Fire Campaign Saves Dozens of Lives
Installs Quarter of a Million Smoke Alarms Across U.S.
Test smoke alarms when turning clocks ahead for Daylight Saving
PROVIDENCE, RI (March 11, 2016)- The American Red Cross and thousands of Home Fire
Campaign partners have helped save at least 77 lives and installed more than a
quarter of a million smoke alarms in homes all across the country since the campaign
launched in October of 2014.
Here in Rhode Island, Red Cross workers and partners have visited nearly 300 homes
and have installed 856 smoke alarms.
«Every day seven people die in a home fire somewhere in the United States. Working
with our partners, we are changing that by making people safer with each new smoke
alarm we install,» said Tempie Thompson, Executive Director, American Red Cross
Rhode Island. «The campaign has already helped to save the lives of dozens of people
and we know that number will only grow as more alarms are installed and more people
take action to prevent home fires.»
TURN AND TEST
Daylight Saving Time occurs at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, March 13, and the Red Cross
reminds everyone to TURN AND TEST – turn their clocks ahead one hour and test their
smoke alarms. If someone’s home is lacking smoke alarms, residents should install
smoke alarms on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
The alarms should be tested every month and the batteries replaced at least once a
year, or according to the alarm manufacturer’s instructions.
Every household should develop a fire escape plan and practice it several times a
year and at different times of the day. The plan should include two ways to get out
of every room and a place to meet outside. Consider escape ladders for sleeping
areas or homes with two stories or more.
People can visit
redcross.org
to find out more about how to protect themselves and their loved ones from fire or
visit http://www.redcross.org/local/ri/schedule-a-visit to schedule a home fire
safety visit. They can also help by volunteering their time or making a donation
today to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting
redcross.org
CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations to
Disaster Relief will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from
disasters big and small.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of
disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save
lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and
their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on
volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For
more information, please visit redcross.org
cruzrojaamericana.org
@RedCross