PANORAMA CITY, CA, May 7, 2019 — Volunteers and community partners joined the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region to Sound the Alarm against home fires this past Saturday by installing free smoke alarms and offering home fire safety education to residents of Panorama City.
The event, which resulted in 890 alarms installed and 953 residents educated, was part of the organization’s national campaign to install 100,000 alarms in at-risk communities across the country.
SEE: Photos from the Red Cross Sound the Alarm event in Panorama City (Flickr)
Home fires are responsible for more fatalities in the U.S. in a typical year than all other natural disasters combined, killing an average of seven people every day. Most of these deaths occur in homes that lack working smoke alarms, yet many Americans remain woefully underprepared when it comes to home fire safety.
“Two days ago, someone lost their life” in a local home fire, said Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Timothy Ramirez during an early morning address to the volunteers. “Had there been working smoke detectors, that might have been a different story.”
“As the battalion chief said: he can’t do it alone; they [the Fire Department] can’t do it alone; we can’t do it alone,” said Raul Claros, Executive Director of the Northern Valleys Chapter of the Red Cross. “But when we join forces, we have the tools to end to these needless tragedies.”
Sound the Alarm continues in Long Beach this upcoming Saturday (May 11th) and East LA (May 18th).
People interested in helping can register now at SoundtheAlarm.org/LosAngeles to volunteer and raise funds for lifesaving services.
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 or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossLA or @CruzRojaLA.