Red Cross Home Fire Campaign Installed 45,600 Free Smoke Alarms in Central Florida Over Five Years

CENTRAL FLORIDA – Oct. 7, 2019 – The American Red Cross is urging its Central Florida neighbors to take time this National Fire Prevention Week (October 6-12) to make their homes safer from fires.

Now is the time to test smoke alarms and practice escape plans, before the holiday season brings the increased threat of home fires. As the nation’s most frequent disaster, home fires are most often caused by cooking.

Tips for home fire safety:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, placing them inside and outside bedrooms, and sleeping areas.
• Test smoke alarms monthly, and change the batteries at least once a year, if your model requires it.
• Include at least two ways to get out of each room in your home fire escape plan.
• Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet.
• Practice your escape plan until everyone can get out in two minutes or less.

For free home fire safety resources, visit redcross.org/homefires or download the free Red Cross Emergency App (search “American Red Cross” in app stores).

LIFESAVING HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN MARKS FIVE YEARS Home fires take seven lives each day in the U.S., most often in homes without working smoke alarms. That’s why the Red Cross is working with partners to install free smoke alarms in high-risk communities and help families create escape plans through its Home Fire Campaign -- which has saved at least 642 lives nationwide since launching in October 2014 -- including eight in Central Florida.

Home Fire Campaign by the numbers in Central Florida:

• Installed more than 45,600 free smoke alarms.
• Made more than 20,700 households safer from the threat of home fires.
• Reached more than 28,300 children through youth preparedness programs.
• Saved eight lives from three home fires in St. Cloud, Port Richey and Orlando.
   

The Central Florida Region of the American Red Cross serves 19 counties through five chapters: Florida’s Space Coast (Daytona Beach), Greater Orlando, Mid-Florida (Winter Haven), Southwest Florida (Sarasota) and Tampa Bay. For more information, visit redcross.org/centralflorida. Also find us on Facebook and Twitter

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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