Over 80 Households Made Safer in Chatham Through Sound the Alarm Campaign
March 13, 2023 – American Red Cross volunteers responded to 17 home fires in Chicago, Melrose Park, Hazel Crest, Calumet City, Gurnee and Plainfield in the past week and provided assistance to 65 individuals, including 23 children, through supplying them with basic items to meet immediate needs after a fire, and additional support in the form of health and mental health services and one-on-one support.
If you or someone you know needs assistance after a home fire or local disaster, please call our dispatch line: 877-597-0747.
Home fires are the nation’s most frequent disaster. Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by 50 percent. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Help keep your family safe by testing your smoke alarms monthly and practicing your two-minute home fire escape drill – the amount of time experts say you may have to get out before it’s too late.
Visit redcross.org/fire for information on setting up your home fire escape drill and to learn more about home fire safety. Download our free Emergency app by searching for “American Red Cross” in app stores. Free resources are available to help children learn what to do during a home fire and other emergencies.
Chatham Sound the Alarm Event
Over 80 households were made safer in Chatham where Red Cross volunteers and members of the Chicago Fire Department installed over 200 smoke, strobe, and bed shaker alarms. This event was especially significant because many of the smoke, strobe, and bed shaker alarms were installed in homes for the hard of hearing and deaf community.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing are particularly vulnerable to home fires because they may not be able to hear the sound of a traditional smoke alarm. A specialized alarm, commonly referred to as a ‘Bed Shaker,’ is installed next to the bed and is activated when an accompanying traditional smoke alarm sounds.
Sound the Alarm events will continue through the month of March. Click each event to view more details.
March 18 - Joliet
March 18 - Round Lake
March 25 - Morrison
This Sound the Alarm event is a critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save at least 1,583 lives since launching in October 2014. Of those lives saved, 45 were in Illinois.
People can register at SoundTheAlarm.org to install free smoke alarms and share fire safety information with residents during a local Sound the Alarm event.
About the American Red Cross of Illinois
The American Red Cross of Illinois serves 12.4 million people in 88 counties in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri including Adams, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cook, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, De Witt, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Green, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jasper, Jefferson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Putnam, Richland, Rock Island, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Vermillion, Warren, Washington, Whiteside, Will, Williamson Winnebago, Woodford. Iowa: Lee, Muscatine, Scott and Van Buren. Missouri: Clark, Lewis, Marion and Ralls. 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 us at Redcross.org/Illinois or visit us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @RedCrossIL.