ATLANTA (Jan. 23, 2025) — This Community Risk Reduction Week (January 20-26), the American Red Cross of Georgia encourages everyone to follow important steps to prevent home fires. Over the past decade, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign has saved more than 2,000 lives, installed nearly 3 million smoke alarms, made over 1.2 million households safer and served over 3.1 million people through in-home visits.

"Since launching the Home Fire Campaign in 2014, we’ve helped save more than 2,000 lives across the country by installing free smoke alarms and helping families create escape plans,” said Adelaide Kirk, Regional Disaster Officer for the American Red Cross of Georgia. “This Community Risk Reduction Week, help protect your family by testing your smoke alarms and practicing your two-minute escape plan with everyone in your household.”

As the Red Cross has adapted our mission over the years to meet the needs of communities and to help prevent deaths and injuries from home fires, our work remains critically important as home fires remain the most frequent disaster nationwide. This critical work is made possible through our volunteers and partners, who have helped us to install more than 2.6 million free smoke alarms and make more than 1 million households safer nationwide.

Through targeted outreach, we’re working with community partners to connect with families and educate kids about home fire safety. Home fires claim seven lives every day in the U.S., but having working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death by half. Sound the Alarm events are part of our national Home Fire Campaign, which has saved at least 2,266 lives and installed more than 2.6 million free smoke alarms across the country.

SOUND THE ALARM Red Cross of Georgia is rallying volunteers to install free smoke alarms March 1 - March 29, as part of our nationwide Sound the Alarm events. Home fires claim seven lives every day, but having working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death by half. Join us for a rewarding day at a Sound the Alarm event near you!

• GET HELP:
  • APPOINTMENTS: If you need assistance, visit redcross.org for a free smoke alarm installation.
• VOLUNTEER: Join us for a rewarding day at a Sound the Alarm event in Georgia. Visit redcross.org/sound-the-alarm-georgia to register for events in March happening across the state. No prior experience is needed – training will be provided.
• DONATE: Thanks to donations, our services are free and available for all those in need. Help families prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires by giving at SoundTheAlarm.org or texting the word HOMEFIRE to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including a home fire escape plan to create and practice with your household. You can also download our free Emergency app (search “American Red Cross” in app stores).

HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN SAVE LIVES Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, working with community partners, has saved at least 2,266 lives – including 255 in Georgia - by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas across the country. To learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved, visit redcross.org/homefires.

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