The Hawaii Red Cross will be part of the American Red Cross nationwide effort to install almost 15,000 smoke alarms in homes across the country over the upcoming weekend surrounding the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. The project is part of the ongoing Red Cross Home Fire Campaign.

The Day of Service occurs on Monday, January 16, to honor the life of Doctor King. In Hawaii, the Red Cross will join First Insurance Company of Hawaii to install smoke alarms in homes in Waipahu, Mililani and Wahiawa.

While smoke alarms are being installed here, thousands of Red Cross volunteers, fire department members and partners from coast to coast will visit homes in neighborhoods at high risk for fires to install smoke alarms and educate residents about what they can do now to be prepared should a fire break out in their home.

“The Red Cross responds to almost 66,000 disasters across the United States every year and most of these are home fires,” said Coralie Chun Matayoshi, CEO of the Hawaii Red Cross.  “Here in Hawaii, we respond to a home fire every 4 days. These home fires are devastating for the people involved and also responsible for a number of deaths and injuries. That is why our Home Fire Campaign is so important. We want to help save lives by installing smoke alarms in homes that don’t have them and educating people about home fire safety.”

131 LIVES SAVED The Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, launched in October 2014, is a multi-year nationwide initiative to reduce deaths and injuries caused by home fires by 25 percent. Since the start of the campaign, the Red Cross and its partners have helped to save at least 131 lives and installed more than 619,000 smoke alarms in 8,400 cities and towns nationwide. 

Working with more than 3,700 partners, the campaign has reached more than 721,000 people and made nearly 263,000 households safer, replacing more than 39,000 smoke alarm batteries and helping create more than 220,000 home fire escape plans. Through programs like The Pillowcase Project, the campaign has also helped teach more than 657,000 young people about home fire preparedness and safety.

In Hawaii, we have installed more than 1,900 smoke alarms in over 550 homes.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO? The Hawaii Red Cross is asking every household to join us in taking two simple steps that can save lives - practice fire drills at home and check existing smoke alarms. If you do not have working smoke alarms, you can call the Red Cross at 739-8111 to sign up for the Home Fire Campaign.  We will come and install new smoke alarms at no cost. 

The Red Cross is not a government agency and depends on public contributions to help others. Your gift supports the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross in your community, across the country and around the world.  Please consider making a donation today by visiting redcross.org/Hawaii, calling 808-739-8109, or mailing a check to The American Red Cross of Hawaii, 4155 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, HI 96816.