Media Contact: Martin Gagliano
Telephone: (510) 368-8320
martin.gagliano@redcross.org
Register at SoundTheAlarm.Org/NorCalCoastal for a home fire safety visit on April 29 from Red Cross and the Alameda County Fire Department
OAKLAND (Calif.), April 24, 2023 — The American Red Cross of the Bay Area and the Alameda County Fire Department will offer free smoke alarm installations for Alameda County residents during a Sound the Alarm home fire safety event on Saturday, April 29. Home fires claim seven lives every day, but having working smoke alarms in the home can cut the risk of death from fire by half.
“A working smoke alarm can be the difference between survival and tragedy when a home fire strikes,” said Ana Romero, Red Cross Regional Preparedness Manager. “That’s why the Red Cross is teaming up with community partners to help ensure local residents, especially those most vulnerable, have these lifesaving devices.”
Red Cross volunteers and Alameda County Fire Department personnel will go door-to-door in the Cherryland neighborhood of unincorporated Alameda County to install alarms, help them create a two-minute fire escape plan and share safety information on home fires and other local disaster risks. The Red Cross is proud to partner with local fire departments for these events to make more homes safer and spread the message of home fire prevention.
"Every day, our department sees first-hand the damage and destruction that home fires can have on a community,” said Willie McDonald, Fire Chief for the Alameda County Fire Department. “This is why campaigns, like Sound the Alarm, are so important. A little home fire prevention can go a long way toward keeping families and the community safe, and a smoke alarm is one of the most effective tools we have to do that. We are proud to partner with the Red Cross for this very important event.”
Local residents who need a smoke alarm can visit SoundTheAlarm.org/NorCalCoastal or call 510-595-4573 to schedule an appointment for a free smoke alarm installation home visit. During these short home visits, Red Cross volunteers and partners also share information on common causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Those who want to give back in can sign up to volunteer at any at any Sound the Alarm event in April using our volunteer event search tool. No prior experience is needed — training will be provided for installing smoke alarms and sharing fire safety information.
Can’t join the event? You can also help by donating to the Red Cross at SoundTheAlarm.org to help people prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires.
1,664 LIVES SAVED AND COUNTING Local Sound the Alarm events like this one are a critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save at least 1,664 lives since launching in October 2014. In 2022, here in the Northern California Coastal Region, Red Cross volunteers and partners have installed 3,267 free smoke alarms and made 1,206 households safer.
This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from our regional Sound the Alarm campaign partners: Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Arista Networks; CSAA Insurance Group, State Farm; and Gloria and Mike Ipson.
About the American Red Cross of the Bay Area
With local offices in San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, 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/bayarea or call us at (415) 427-8000. You may also find us on Facebook and Twitter.
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