ANCHORAGE, Alaska, October 5, 2019 — National Fire Prevention Week is October 6 to 12, and the American Red Cross of Alaska urges everyone to practice their home fire escape plan and test their smoke alarms.

PRACTICE YOUR PLAN, TEST YOUR SMOKE ALARMS For free home fire safety resources, visit redcross.org/homefires or download the free Red Cross Emergency App (search “American Red Cross” in app stores).

    • Include at least two ways to get out of each room in your home fire escape plan.
    • Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet.
    • Practice your escape plan until everyone can get out in two minutes or less.
    • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, placing them inside and outside bedrooms, and sleeping areas.
    • Test smoke alarms monthly, and change the batteries at least once a year, if your model requires it.

LIFESAVING HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN MARKS FIVE YEARS Home fires take seven lives each day in the U.S., most often in homes without working smoke alarms. In the last fiscal year (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019) alone, the Red Cross of Alaska responded to over 435 disasters across the state, and the vast majority of those disasters were home fires. That’s why the Red Cross is working with partners to install free smoke alarms in high-risk communities and help families create escape plans through its Home Fire Campaign, which launched five years ago in October 2014.

Over the past five years, the campaign has saved at least 642 lives across the country by:

    • Installing nearly 2 million free smoke alarms.
    • Reaching more than 1.4 million children through youth preparedness programs.
    • Making more than 793,000 households safer from the threat of home fires.

About the American Red Cross of Alaska:
In Fiscal Year 2019, the American Red Cross of Alaska responded to 435 disasters by offering food, shelter, relief supplies, comfort, hope and recovery services to 1,096 Alaskans in 50 communities statewide. Our preparedness teams installed 2,171 free smoke alarms and educated 1,409 youth through The Pillowcase Project. Our Training Services department enrolled 19,665 students in first aid/CPR/AED, aquatics and caregiving classes. Our Service to the Armed Forces staff exchanged 1,299 emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. In Fiscal Year 2019, our statewide workforce of 729 volunteers logged 40,735 hours in service to our mission and their fellow Alaskans. For more information, please visit redcross.org/Alaska or visit us on Twitter at @redcrossak.

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