CARMEL, CA (November 12, 2018) — 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 by 25 percent.

A key component of the 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 high-risk neighborhoods 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 450 lives throughout the United States since the Home Fire Campaign began.

On Saturday, November 17, a Sound the Alarm event will take place in the community of Live Oak in Santa Cruz County. That day, the American Red Cross of the Central Coast will be installing free smoke alarms and providing in-home fire preparedness education and earthquake preparedness education during the home visits in that community.

Trained Red Cross volunteers will visit homes that day between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. During the home visits in Live Oak, Red Cross volunteers will be working with personnel from the Central Fire Department, members of San Lorenzo Valley Rotary, and students from Seaside High School.

For information about the location of the home visits in Live Oak on November 17 — or to sign up to volunteer that day — please contact the local chapter's Disaster Program Specialist, Helen Cosentino, by sending her email at: helen.cosentino2@redcross.org.

In addition to the Sound the Alarm event, the American Red Cross of the Central Coast is also offering the installation of free smoke alarms and educational visits on an appointment basis throughout Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties. If you would like free smoke alarms installed in your home, please use one of the following options to schedule an appointment:

- Phone: 831-600-4914
- Email: helen.cosentino2@redcross.org

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About American Red Cross of the Central Coast:  With offices in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties, 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, visit our web site at redcross.org/centralcoast or call us at 831-624-6921. You may also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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