More Than 780 Local Volunteers Helped Make Over 1,300 Households Safer During National Sound the Alarm Home Fire Safety Effort 

CENTRAL FLORIDA – MAY 23, 2019 – The American Red Cross of Central Florida, local fire departments and community partners installed more than 2,600 free smoke alarms in local homes during this spring’s national Sound the Alarm home fire safety effort.

“Tragically, home fires take seven lives each day in the U.S. – including at least 12 in Central Florida just this spring,” said Eric Corliss, Regional CEO. “Each smoke alarm we install is an investment in the safety of our local families who receive them, and increases the odds of escaping these everyday disasters.”

During Sound the Alarm events in Central Florida in April and May, 784 volunteers helped make 1,382 households safer by installing 2,696 free smoke alarms and helping families create home fire escape plans. These local Sound the Alarm events were part of a national push in 100 high-risk communities, where thousands of volunteers and community partners installed more than 120,000 free smoke alarms nationwide.

“I'm 100% more secure," said Jennie Hammond, a St. Petersburg resident, after volunteers visited her home. She and 200 neighbors received free smoke alarms and are now are better prepared for home fires after an event in their community on April 30. 

Sound the Alarm events are part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, launched in 2014 to help reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by home fires. So far, the campaign has:

• Saved at least 589 lives nationwide – including three in Central Florida
  
• Installed more than 1.7 million free smoke alarms;
• Reached more than 1.3 million children through youth preparedness programs; and
• Made more than 700,000 households safer from the threat of home fires.

In Central Florida, this work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from 2019 Sound the Alarm regional partners: Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), The Mosaic Company and Spectrum.

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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