San Diego, Calif. (December 17, 2021) - The American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties and the San Marcos Fire Department recently installed 208 free smoke alarms during a Sound the Alarm home fire safety event on Saturday, December 11, 2021 at three mobile home parks in San Marcos.
“We are grateful for everyone’s support of Sound the Alarm, which helped make more than 92 households safer from home fires,” said Melissa Altman, American Red Cross Southern California Region Preparedness Manager. “We will continue to safely provide free, lifesaving resources to families in need with the help of our amazing partners including the San Marcos Fire Department.”
During the Sound the Alarm event in San Marcos more than 40 Red Cross volunteers and members of the San Marcos Fire Department canvassed neighborhoods to install free smoke alarms in homes, replace batteries in existing alarms and help families create home fire escape plans.
“Having working smoke alarms is very important,” said Kenneth Kim, Fire Inspector for the San Marcos Fire Department. “Statistics show that working smoke alarms increase the chance of surviving a home fire by 50 percent.”
Home fires remain the most frequent disaster during COVID-19, and more than 90 percent of Red Cross responses each year are the result of home fires. To learn more or to request a free smoke alarm installation, please visit SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal. For photos from Sound the Alarm, visit the American Red Cross Southern California Region Flickr.
SOUND THE ALARM TO SAVE LIVES This Sound the Alarm event is part of the national Home Fire Campaign, which the Red Cross launched in 2014 to reduce fire deaths and injuries with partners. So far, the campaign has reached more than 2.5 million people and saved 1,189 lives nationwide.
COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS To ensure the safety of the Red Cross workforce and the people they serve, this event requires participants to be fully vaccinated, mask wearing indoors and encourages social distancing. All group gatherings are held outside and masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes are provided.
HOME FIRE SAFETY TIPS Did you know that if a fire starts in your home you may have as little as two minutes to escape? During a fire, early warning from a working smoke alarm plus a fire escape plan that has been practiced regularly can save lives. These additional fire safety tips can keep you and your loved ones safe:
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
• Test smoke alarms every month. If they’re not working, change the batteries.
• Talk with all family members about a fire escape plan and practice the plan twice a year.
• If a fire occurs in your home, GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL FOR HELP. Never go back inside for anything or anyone.
About the American Red Cross Southern California Region
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver 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 the Southern California Region on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or Facebook.
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