Red Cross volunteers install 198 free smoke alarms for local families during Sound the Alarm event in Sebring
Effort is part of national Red Cross initiative in 50 at-risk communities
Josett Valdez, Regional CEO of Red Cross South Florida, and Jill Palmer, Executive Director of the Florida Gulf Coast to Heartland Chapter of the Red Cross, at a Sound the Alarm event on Saturday, May 14, 2022.
SEBRING, FLA. (MAY 20, 2022) — This past week, volunteers and members of the American Red Cross South Florida Region installed 198 free smoke alarms for families in Sebring, Fla. as part of a national Red Cross Sound the Alarm effort in more than 50 at-risk communities across the country in May.
“Without everyone coming together to Sound the Alarm, we wouldn’t have been able to help dozens of vulnerable neighbors in Sebring,” said Jill Palmer, executive director of the Florida Gulf Coast to Heartland Chapter. “Home fires are a constant threat to our community, and our efforts today will make a lasting difference to save lives.”
SAVING LIVES FROM NATION’S MOST FREQUENT DISASTER Home fires are the nation’s most frequent disaster, including South Florida where volunteers have responded to more than 300 home fires since the beginning of the year.
This Sound the Alarm event is a critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save at least 1,275 lives since launching in October 2014. As part of the campaign in Sebring, the Red Cross of South Florida and local partners have installed more than 38,000 free smoke alarms and made nearly 19,000 households safer. Visit SoundTheAlarm.org to learn more and make a donation to the Red Cross to help people prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires.
This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners: BankUnited, Carrier Corporation, Florida Power & Light Company, Motorola Solutions, Popular Bank, TECO Energy 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/southflorida or visit us on Twitter at @SFLRedCross.
