Media Contact: Cynthia Shaw
408-666-6857 | cynthia.shaw@redcross.org
24-hour Toll-Free Media Hotline:
855-559-0333 | NCCRpublicaffairs@redcross.org
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 1, 2019) — On average, home fires kill 7 people and injure another 36 — every single day in the United States. That's why the American Red Cross launched its nationwide Home Fire Campaign in 2014 with the goal of reducing the number of home fire deaths and injuries.
A key component of the national campaign is a series of "Sound the Alarm – Save a Life" events in which Red Cross volunteers, working with local fire departments and other partners, visit homes to offer to install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms, and help families create escape plans. It is believed that the "Sound the Alarm" neighborhood visits have already saved more than 500 lives throughout the United States since the Home Fire Campaign began.
On Saturday, March 9, a Sound the Alarm event will take place in the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco. That day, the American Red Cross of the Bay Area will be installing free smoke alarms and providing in-home fire preparedness education and earthquake preparedness education during the home visits in that area of the city.
Trained Red Cross volunteers will visit homes that day between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. For the home visits in the Outer Sunset neighborhood that day, the Bay Area Chapter of the American Red Cross has partnered with Holy Name Church and the San Francisco Fire Department.
The local Red Cross chapter is still in need of volunteers to help on March 9. People who are interested in volunteering should contact the Red Cross's Disaster Program Manager for San Francisco, Allison Biddinger, by sending her email at: allison.biddinger@redcross.org.
In addition to the Sound the Alarm event, the American Red Cross of the Bay Area is also offering the installation of free smoke alarms and educational visits on an appointment basis throughout its service area. If you would like free smoke alarms installed in your home, please use one of the following options to schedule an appointment:
• Phone: 415-427-8153
• Email: GetPrepSanFrancisco@redcross.org
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About the American Red Cross of the Bay Area: 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/bayarea or find us on Facebook and Twitter.
