Media Contact:

Ashley Henyan

843-571-8945

Ashley.Henyan@redcross.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Red Cross Volunteers to Install Free Smoke Alarms with Baltimore City Fire Department

Baltimore, MD, April 3, 2024 — The Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region, alongside partners, will be installing hundreds of free smoke alarms in homes in two Baltimore City communities on April 13, 2024 beginning at 8 a.m. at Pimlico Race Course and the Biddle Street Garage. With a goal of making homes safer from home fires, volunteers will also be checking batteries in existing alarms and sitting down with families and creating home fire escape plans that get every household member out in two minutes or less.

“Unfortunately someone dies in a home fire-related tragedy seven times a day in the U.S.,” said Dale Kunce, CEO for the Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region. “But a working smoke alarm can be the difference between survival and tragedy — and as a community organization, our Red Cross volunteers are helping neighbors stay safe by ensuring they have properly working smoke alarms.”

Those interested in volunteering to help install free smoke alarms can learn more about local Sound the Alarm events by entering their zip-code at SoundTheAlarm.org.

At LEAST 75 LOCAL LIVES SAVED

Thanks to Red Cross volunteers and partners, at least 75 lives have been saved due to free smoke alarm installation and home fire safety education efforts in local National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region communities. The most recent 43 lives saved stemmed from free smoke alarm installation events, known as Sound the Alarm events, between 2014 and 2022; and after tragic home fire-related incidents in 2022 and 2023. Thirty two of the 43 recent lives saved were documented in Baltimore City--with five in Lanham, three in Dundalk, two in southeast Washington, D.C. and one in Prince George's County Maryland.

Since 2014 the national American Red Cross has documented more than 2,050 lives saved, thanks to volunteer and partner support of free smoke alarm installation efforts in communities across the U.S.

DONATIONS HELP PROVIDE FREE SERVICES

Because of generous donations, all Red Cross services are free and available for people in need. Can’t join the event? Donate to the Red Cross at SoundTheAlarm.org to help people prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires — which account for most of the disasters the Red Cross responds to across the U.S. Red Cross free smoke alarm installation efforts in the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake region are made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners: BG&E, Dr. James J. Albrecht and Pepco, an Exelon Company.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org  or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.

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