Media Contact:
Dana Simmons, Regional Communications Manager
dana.simmons@redcross.org
RIVERSIDE COUNTY AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, May 31, 2022 — During the month of May, American Red Cross volunteers and community partners installed 613 free smoke alarms for families in Fontana and Murrieta, as part of a national Red Cross Sound the Alarm effort in more than 50 at-risk communities across the country in May. In Southern California 1,768 smoke alarms were installed making 710 homes safer this month.
“Without everyone coming together to Sound the Alarm, we wouldn’t have been able to help hundreds of vulnerable neighbors in the Inland Empire,” said Kimberly Aufrecht, Preparedness Manager for the Red Cross Southern California Region. “Home fires are a constant threat to our community, and our efforts today will make a lasting difference to save lives.”
MAKING LOCAL HOMES SAFER Local volunteers, the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the City of Fontana, Murrieta Fire and Rescue and additional community partners are among those who participated in the Sound the Alarm smoke alarm installation event. They shared crucial safety information with residents on the causes of home fires, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan.
SAVING LIVES FROM NATION’S MOST FREQUENT DISASTER 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. As part of the campaign in the Inland Empire, the Red Cross and local partners have installed 15,415 free smoke alarms and made 5,693 households safer. Home fires claim seven lives every day in the U.S. — but having working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death by half. To learn more or to request a free smoke alarm installation, please visit SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal.
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 more.
For photos from Sound the Alarm, visit the American Red Cross Southern California Region Flickr.
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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