Red Cross volunteers responded to over 90 home fires in Orange County this year

SANTA ANA, Calif. (November 1, 2019) — As people turn their clocks back this weekend for the end of daylight saving time, the American Red Cross serving Orange County asks everyone to also test their smoke alarms.

“Home fires are our community’s most frequent disaster. So far this year, the local Red Cross has helped individuals impacted by nearly 100 home fires in Orange County,” said Linda Voss, Regional CEO of the Red Cross Desert to the Sea Region, which serves Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. “Increase your ability to protect yourself and your family by testing your smoke alarms and practicing your home fire escape plan with everyone in your household.”

Turn and test your smoke alarms for home fire safety. The threat of home fires — which are most often caused by cooking and heating equipment — increases with the holidays and cold weather. As daylight saving time ends, please follow the steps below to prepare your household. For more information, visit redcross.org/homefires or download the free Red Cross Emergency App (search “American Red Cross” in app stores).

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home. Place them inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.
• Test smoke alarms and replace batteries if needed. Test smoke alarms monthly and change the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it. This is also a great time to check carbon monoxide alarms.
• Practice your home fire escape plan. Include at least two ways to get out of every room. Select a meeting spot a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet. Practice your plan until everyone can escape in two minutes or less.

The Home Fire Campaign saves lives. For five years, the Red Cross has been working with partners to install free smoke alarms in high-risk communities and help families create escape plans through its national Home Fire Campaign — which so far has saved at least 642 lives across the country. In Orange County, the American Red Cross and local partners have:

• Installed more than 16,900 free smoke alarms.
• Reached more than 6,400 children through youth preparedness programs.
• Made more than 5,900 households safer from the threat of home fires.

For more information about the American Red Cross serving Orange County, please visit redcross.org/dts.

About the American Red Cross Desert to the Sea 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 American public to perform its mission. The American Red Cross Desert to the Sea Region has proudly served Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties for more than 100 years. For more information, please visit redcross.org/dts  or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossDTS or Facebook at facebook.com/RedCrossDTS.  

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