Media Contact:
Christine Welch, Regional Communications Director
christine.welch@redcross.org
FONTANA, Calif. (April 28, 2022) — Volunteers are needed to help install 200 free smoke alarms and help make homes safer for local families in Fontana.
The American Red Cross of San Bernardino County is leading the Sound the Alarm smoke alarm installation and home fire safety event on May 14 with the City of Fontana, San Bernardino County Fire Department and community partners as part of a national Red Cross initiative in May to install 50,000 free smoke alarms with partners in more than 50 at-risk communities across the country.
“Sound the Alarm is meaningful way to be a part of a larger movement while directly helping local families,” said Kimberly Aufrecht, Community Preparedness Manager, Red Cross Southern California Region. “In just one day, you could help save a neighbor’s life by installing smoke alarms — which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.”
People can register now at SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal to install free smoke alarms and share fire safety information with residents during a local Sound the Alarm event in Fontana on Saturday, May 14, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. No prior experience is needed. Training will be provided before volunteer teams, with members of the Red Cross and local partners, canvass neighborhoods and visit area homes. You can join a volunteer team as a smoke alarm installer, an educator or a documenter – there is a role for every interest. Free lunch, snacks and t-shirts will also be provided.
Because of generous donations, all services are free and available for people in need. Can’t join the event? Help by donating to the Red Cross at SoundTheAlarm.org to help people prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires — which account for most of the U.S. disasters that the Red Cross responds to every eight minutes.
IF YOU NEED A SMOKE ALARM Residents in Fontana and across Southern California who need assistance can visit SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal to learn more about the Red Cross Sound the Alarm event or to request a smoke alarm installation anytime. During home visits, Red Cross volunteers will also share information on the causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan.
1,243 LIVES SAVED AND COUNTING This Sound the Alarm event is a critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save 1,243 lives since launching in October 2014. In March, with the help of the San Bernardino County Fire and the Moronga Basin CERT, Red Cross volunteers installed 132 smoke alarms in the Yucca Valley-Morongo Basin. As part of the campaign in San Bernardino County, the Red Cross of San Bernardino County and local partners have installed more than 6,165 free smoke alarms and made more than 2,168 households safer.
This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners: San Diego Gas & Electric, Pacific Life Foundation, The Gilbert J. Martin Foundation, Motorola Solutions Foundation, Brasstech, Inc., Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo and others.
About the American Red Cross Southern California Region
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 public to perform its mission. The Red Cross Southern California Region proudly serves San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial Counties. In addition to carrying out disaster preparedness and response programs, blood collection, health and safety training, international services programs and supporting the military community, the Southern California Region provides nutritional counseling through its Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in San Diego and helps communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters through its Prepare SoCal and Prepare San Diego initiatives. For more information, please visit redcross.org/SoCal or cruzrojaamericana.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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