On Saturday, April 27, American Red Cross volunteers and partners will visit local homes in Greater New Haven to help install 1,000 free smoke alarms during a national effort to Sound the Alarm against home fires.

The home fire safety and smoke alarm installation event below is part of a two-week push of Sound the Alarm events in 100 cities with a high risk of home fires—which kill more people in a typical year in the U.S than all other natural disasters combined. Most deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms.

Saturday, April 27: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Greater New Haven

Area residents are encouraged to make an appointment for a FREE smoke alarm installation by visiting: soundthealarm.org/Connecticut.

“Each day, Red Cross volunteers care for neighbors devastated by home fires, and we want to prevent needless tragedies from these disasters,” said Mario Bruno, CEO, American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island. “You can help #EndHomeFires by volunteering and raising donations for lifesaving services or by making an appointment for a free smoke alarm.”

HOW VOLUNTEERS WILL HELP During Sound the Alarm events, Red Cross volunteers in coordination with the City of New Haven and the New Haven Fire Department will go door-to-door to install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms and help families create home fire escape plans. Services are free and available to all people in need. Visit SoundTheAlarm.org/Connecticut to make an appointment for a FREE Home Fire Safety Visit.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR EVENTS People interested in helping at events can register now at SoundTheAlarm.org/Connecticut to volunteer and raise funds for lifesaving services.

Sound the Alarm events are part of the Home Fire Campaign, which the Red Cross launched in 2014 to reduce fire deaths and injuries. So far, it has reached more than 1.7 million people and saved more than 500 lives nationwide. In Connecticut, the Red Cross and local partners have:

• Installed more than 19,000 free smoke alarms
• Made more than 7,600 households safer
• Reached more than 3,800 children through youth preparedness programs

This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners: Amica Insurance, Cigna, The Connecticut Apartment Association, ConnectiCare and Wells Fargo.

About the American Red Cross:

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. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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