[FAIRFAX, VA.] Wednesday, January 11, 2017 — The National Capital Region will be part of the American Red Cross nationwide effort to install almost 15,000 smoke alarms in homes across the country over the upcoming weekend surrounding the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. The project is part of the ongoing Red Cross Home Fire Campaign.

The Day of Service occurs on Saturday, January 14, to honor the life of Doctor King. Here in the National Capital Region, the Red Cross will join partners in Prince George’s and Prince William Counties to install smoke alarms in homes in Mount Rainier and Manassas respecitvely. Both events will begin around 8:00 am and last until 1:00 pm. All are welcome to attend and no prior experience or affiliation is required. Signup at: http://rdcrss.org/2aLRpNK.

While smoke alarms are being installed here, thousands of Red Cross volunteers, fire department members and partners from coast to coast will visit homes in neighborhoods at high risk for fires to install smoke alarms and educate residents about what they can do now to be prepared should a fire break out in their home.

“The Red Cross responds to almost 66,000 disasters across the United States every year and most of these are home fires,” said Linda Mathes, CEO, National Capital Region. “Locally, we responded to about 500 home fires and disasters in 2016. These home fires are devastating for the people involved and also responsible for a number of deaths and injuries. That is why our Home Fire Campaign is so important. We want to help save lives by installing smoke alarms in homes that don’t have them and educating people about home fire safety.”

131 LIVES SAVED The Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, launched in October 2014, is a multi-year nationwide initiative to reduce deaths and injuries caused by home fires by 25 percent. Since the start of the campaign, the Red Cross and its partners have helped to save at least 131 lives and installed more than 619,000 smoke alarms in 8,400 cities and towns nationwide.

Working with more than 3,700 partners, the campaign has reached more than 721,000 people and made nearly 263,000 households safer, replacing more than 39,000 smoke alarm batteries and helping create more than 220,000 home fire escape plans. Through programs like The Pillowcase Project, the campaign has also helped teach more than 657,000 young people about home fire preparedness and safety.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO? The Red Cross is asking every household in America to join us in taking two simple steps that can save lives - practice fire drills at home and check existing smoke alarms.

The Red Cross responds to approximately 66,000 disasters each year, most of them home fires, and it could not fulfill its crucial mission without the generous support of the American public. If someone would like to help, please consider making a donation today by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

The Red Cross Home Fire Campaign is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from corporate partners and the hundreds of local partner organizations and volunteers nationwide.  Special thanks to Nationwide for generously supporting the Home Fire Campaign and Kidde for its generous donation of smoke alarms.