Tampa Bay and Greater Orlando are among 50 cities across the country participating with activities adapted for pandemic protocols

TAMPA, Fla. – MARCH 5, 2021 – This spring, the annual Sound the Alarm initiative, a key part of the American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, returns to more than 50 cities nationwide, modified for COVID-19 safety. Red Cross volunteers will meet with residents in at-risk communities by appointment outside their homes to share fire safety information and local fire department partners will install smoke alarms in the homes that need them.

On Saturday, May 8, a small team of Red Cross volunteers and community partners will meet at 10 a.m. at the following locations in support of the Sound the Alarm effort. All activities will be socially-distanced and masks will be worn.

• Lake Fantasia Mobile Home Park, 8350 Fantasia Park Way, Riverview, in partnership with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue
• Neighborhood near Longwood Fire Station #17, 300 N Wayman St, Longwood, in partnership with Seminole County Fire Department and the City of Longwood Fire/Rescue Department

Efforts like these have helped save at least 864 lives across the U.S. to date, including nine survivors from four Central Florida fires.

LOCAL SURVIVOR’S STORY Charlene Kimler knows the importance of having smoke alarms and a home fire escape plan. She lost her Brevard County home to a fire in December 2020, but she and her dog Shaggy evacuated safely. She credits a smoke alarm, installed by Red Cross volunteers in the summer of 2018, and the home fire safety tips she learned during that visit, for saving her life. 

"What I learned was, when that (smoke alarm) goes off, it means get out. If those alarms go off, don't waste a second," she said. Fire experts agree that people may have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it’s too late to get out. 

Watch Charlene’s home fire story video: https://vimeo.com/534863183

KEEP LOVED ONES SAFE Pledge to prepare your family against home fires at SoundTheAlarm.org and follow two simple steps:

1. Practice a 2-minute fire drill. Create an escape plan with at least two ways to exit every room in your home. 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 knows to meet. Practice your escape plan until everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes.
2. Test smoke alarms monthly. If they don’t sound when pressing the test button, change the batteries if the model requires it. If the alarms are 10 years or older, they likely need to be replaced. Make sure smoke alarms are installed on each level of the home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.

Local Red Cross volunteers are also working to educate community members about home fire safety through free 20-minute educational phone calls. To register for a call with one of our trained preparedness team members, visit www.tinyurl.com/EndHomeFiresFL.

The American Red Cross of Central Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands serves 19 Florida counties through five chapters: Florida’s Space Coast (Daytona Beach), Greater Orlando, Mid-Florida (Winter Haven), Southwest Florida (Sarasota) and Tampa Bay; and the Virgin Islands territories of St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John and Water Island. For more information, visit redcross.org. 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% 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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