ANCHORAGE (Nov. 2, 2018) – Daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 4, and the American Red Cross of Alaska reminds everyone to test their smoke alarms when turning their clocks back.

As the cold weather continues to creep into every part of the state, the risk of deadly home fires increases across Alaska. Heating equipment is the second most common cause of home fire fatalities, which on average take seven lives every day in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association. Working smoke alarms can double a person’s odds of survival in a home fire.

This weekend, the Red Cross asks everyone to take these three simple steps:

• Check smoke alarm batteries. When turning the clocks back, take a few minutes to test your smoke alarms by pushing the test button. Replace batteries in alarms, if needed. It’s also a great time to check carbon monoxide detectors.
• Install smoke alarms. If you don’t have working smoke alarms, install them. At a minimum, put one on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. If you need smoke alarms, the Red Cross will provide them free of charge. Simply call 907-646-5408. Please leave a message with your name and number and a Red Cross representative will call you to schedule an appointment.
• Practice an escape plan. Make sure everyone in the household knows two ways to get out of every room and how to get out of the home in less than two minutes.

AMERICAN RED CROSS OF ALASKA HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN

Every eight minutes, the Red Cross responds to a disaster, the vast majority of which are home fires. Through the Home Fire Campaign, the Red Cross of Alaska works with community partners to help reduce deaths and injuries from home fires, which take more lives each year than all other natural disasters combined in the U.S. In Alaskan communities and across the country, Red Cross volunteers and partners go door-to-door year-round to install free smoke alarms and help residents create home fire escape plans. 

In the last year alone, the Alaska Region has reached thousands of people across our vast state by:

• Installing over 2,300 free smoke alarms
• Helping more than 700 households create home fire escape plans
• Reaching more than 1,700 children through youth preparedness programs

Visit redcross.org/homefires to learn more about home fire preparedness or call 907-646-5408 to request free smoke alarms.

To help families in need, the community can volunteer or make a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting redcross.org/Alaska, calling 1-800-Red CROSS or texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.  

About the American Red Cross of Alaska:
In FY18, the American Red Cross of Alaska offered food, shelter, comfort and hope to 892 Alaskans. We responded to 308 disasters. Our preparedness/Health and Safety teams installed 2,309 smoke alarms statewide and educated 1,722 youth through The Pillowcase Project. Additionally, our Service to the Armed Forces staff exchanged 1,161 emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel 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/Alaska or visit us on Twitter at @redcrossak.