Media Contacts:
Katie Baratone Zwerk (American Red Cross) | (404) 323-3923
Evan Peterson (American Red Cross) | (470) 654-8561
Capt. Jaeson Daniels (DeKalb County Fire Rescue) | (678) 923-9494
Atlanta, GA (October 4, 2023) – In a vivid demonstration of how working smoke alarms save lives, DeKalb County Fire Rescue (DCFR) and the American Red Cross of Georgia burned a full-scale, furnished bedroom equipped with a smoke alarm on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
After DeKalb County firefighters ignited the fire, the smoke alarm sounded just five seconds later. In less than two minutes, the bedroom was engulfed with flames. The dramatic burn, with a bedroom wall open to show the smoke and fire, demonstrated what the Red Cross stresses: that residents have just two minutes to escape a burning home.
“Partnering together we are striving to make homes safer with working smoke alarms and fire safety plans,” said Kay Wilkins, Interim Regional Executive for the American Red Cross of Georgia. “This shows the importance of our joint effort with DeKalb County Fire Rescue and other fire departments across the state to install these free alarms.”
Last year, the Red Cross helped more than 5,000 people after home fires in the Greater Atlanta area, including more than 1,000 in DeKalb County alone. Winter is the peak season for home fires, which kill seven Americans every day.
“All too often we find homes and families without working smoke alarms,” said DeKalb Fire Rescue Chief Darnell Fullum. “We stand together with the Red Cross in urging everyone to check their alarms and call us if they don’t have working alarms. They save lives.”
The fire safety demonstration took place at the DeKalb Fire Rescue Academy on Warren Road.
DCFR is an important partner as the Red Cross conducts its annual Sound the Alarm drive aimed at installing 1,300 free alarms at large-scale events across Georgia from Oct. 14 to Nov. 11. In the Atlanta metro area and north Georgia, events will occur in Barrow, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Polk and Whitfield counties.
During the installations, volunteers also educate residents on fire safety. Working smoke alarms can cut the chance of dying by half, and having a plan to escape home fires in two minutes increases the chance of survival.
Today’s demonstration was made possible by Cofer Brothers of Tucker, which donated the building materials, and by Goodwill of North Georgia, which provided the furnishings.
Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, with community partners like DCFR, has documented saving more than 1,900 lives – including 240 in Georgia. The Red Cross responds to more than 60,000 disasters a year, the majority of them home fires.
Residents who need fire education and a smoke alarm can find more information here: Georgia Home Fire Campaign.
Below is a link with full coverage of the event. Please use the following credit for the video: DCTV, Channel 23. For additional b-roll, reach out to the media contacts provided above.
https://youtu.be/ZWtkMuMNuD8
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.