January 22, 2020

VERO BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 22, 2020) — On Saturday, Jan. 18, Florida’s Coast to Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Indian River County Fire Rescue partnered together to install a total of 147 free smoke alarms at the Vero Palm Estates community in Vero Beach, Fla.

Every eight minutes, the Red Cross responds to a disaster– and the vast majority of these are home fires. That’s why the Coast to Heartland Chapter is partnering with the Indian River County Fire Rescue to bring awareness to risk of home fires and the importance in working smoke alarms and preparing a fire escape plan.

On Saturday, the local Red Cross Chapter and fire department visited nearly 90 homes and successfully educated 117 individuals on the importance of fire safety and the steps they should take in case they experienced a home fire.

Thanks to the support of the community, 30 volunteers from the Red Cross, Indian River County Fire Rescue and Vero Palm Estates community came out to support the Home Fire Campaign.

“We are grateful to work alongside the Indian River County Fire Department to make a significant number of homes safer in our community,” said Gary Pelletier, Disaster Program Manager for the Coast to Heartland Chapter. “We look forward to continuing our partnership and educating more families in future home fire campaign events.”

Across the country, the Home Fire Campaign is helping save lives by installing free smoke alarms in homes and by educating people about fire safety. As of December 31, the Red Cross and our partners across  the country have saved 699 lives.

To learn more on how you can get involved with the Red Cross and help save lives in your community, visit redcross.org/sflvolunteer or call (772) 562-2549.

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 itsmission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/southflorida or visit us on Facebook or Twitter at @SFLRedCross.

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