ATLANTA, Friday, November 3, 2017 — The American Red Cross announced today that one million smoke alarms have been installed and 285 lives have been saved, including six members of a LaGrange, Georgia family, due to the efforts of the volunteers and community partners who have participated in the organization’s Home Fire Campaign.

“Since 2014, Red Cross volunteers across Georgia and the entire country have been working with local fire departments and community partners to reduce home fire tragedies in at-risk communities,” said Terri Badour, CEO of Georgia’s Red Cross. “We’re grateful to everyone who has supported our Home Fire Campaign and helped us save lives by reaching our one-millionth free smoke alarm milestone.”

With the support of 4,400 partner organizations, the Red Cross has helped to make more than one million people safer through home visits to install free smoke alarms, assist families with developing fire escape plans and provide home fire safety education. In Georgia alone, more than 28,000 alarms have been installed to date and 12,000 at-risk homes made safer. These efforts have helped to reduce the risk of fire deaths and injuries for more than 35,000 neighbors in our state.

Since 2014, the Campaign has also reached nearly 895,000 kids through youth preparedness programs, helped to create more than 340,000 home fire escape plans, and replaced more than 51,000 smoke alarm batteries nationwide.

This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from national partners: Almost Family, Delta Air Lines and International Paper. The Red Cross has also received funding from FEMA through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

This spring, the Red Cross will Sound the Alarm through a nationwide series of home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events from April 28 to May 13, 2018. Working with volunteers and partner organizations, the Red Cross plans to install 100,000 free smoke alarms across more than 100 major cities, including here in Georgia. Volunteers and financial contributions are needed.

Join this Red Cross effort today by volunteering to install smoke alarms in your community, making a financial contribution, or taking steps to protect your own family from home fires. Together, we can Sound the Alarm about fire safety and help save lives. Visit SoundTheAlarm.org for more information.

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.