American Red Cross Media Contact:
Brianna Kelly, Regional Communications Manager
brianna.kelly@redcross.org
Orange County Fire Authority Media Contact:
Sophia Champieux, Public Relations Manager
SophiaChampieux@ocfa.org
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (April 25, 2022) — What if one day of your life could change someone else’s forever? The American Red Cross of Orange County is looking for volunteers to help install more than 300 free smoke alarms for families in Garden Grove as part of their Sound the Alarm effort, which aims to prevent home fire deaths and injuries.
“Sound the Alarm is a meaningful way to be a part of a larger movement while directly helping local families,” said Kimberly Aufrecht, Red Cross Southern California Region Community Preparedness Manager. “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.”
Home fires claim seven lives every day in the U.S. The local Red Cross is leading a Sound the Alarm free smoke alarm installation and home fire safety event on Saturday, May 7 with the Orange County Fire Authority 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. In addition to installing free smoke alarms, volunteers will also provide home fire safety information to help residents know how to prevent and respond to home fires. In a home fire, you may have less than 2 minutes to escape. When every second counts, this community education and prevention can save a life.
“Of all the ways the OCFA protects our communities, none are more important than the events at which our firefighters, professional staff, volunteers, and external partners collaborate to promote fire education and prevent tragedy,” said OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy. “The Red Cross of Orange County’s Sound the Alarm is such a program, and we are both proud to partner with them and grateful to all the volunteers and donors who helped make it happen.”
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER People can register to volunteer at SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal to install free smoke alarms and share fire safety information with residents during the local Sound the Alarm event in Garden Grove on Saturday, May 7 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. No prior experience is needed and training will be provided at Christ Cathedral before volunteer teams 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. Can’t join the event? Help by donating to the Red Cross at SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal 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 In addition to smoke alarms installed during the May 7 event, residents in Orange County who need smoke alarms can visit SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal to schedule an appointment for a free smoke alarm installation in their home at any time. During a 20-minute home visit, Red Cross volunteers and community partners will install free smoke alarms and 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.
1,275 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 at least 1,275 lives since launching in October 2014, including saving the lives of people right here in Southern California. As part of the campaign in Orange County, the Red Cross and local partners have already installed more than 18,700 free smoke alarms and made more than 6,600 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.
For more information or to get involved, please visit SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal.
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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