Volunteers with the Disaster Action Team helped 43 people impacted by home fires across Chicagoland. Our volunteers responded to 13 home fires from April 5 to today in Bellwood, Bourbonnais, Downers Grove, Harvey, Melrose Park and more, with nine of this incidents occurring in Chicago, including two home fires that sadly resulted in the loss of lives.

In the past week, Red Cross volunteers provided assistance to 25 adults and 18 children with temporary emergency housing, financial assistance, health services, disaster mental health services and recovery planning.

Home fires remain the most frequent disaster during COVID-19, yet most of us don’t realize we have just two minutes to safely escape. As families spend more time at home during the pandemic, it’s critical that we help our vulnerable neighbors to protect themselves from these everyday disasters.

Red Cross volunteers will Sound the Alarm in Chicagoland as part of a national effort to educate 100,000 people about home fire safety in high-risk neighborhoods this spring. Our volunteers will be offering virtual education sessions on home fire safety for residents through May 8^th. Visit SoundTheAlarm.org/Illinois to request an appointment today!

HOW TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE Help protect your family against home fires by taking two simple steps: Practice your two-minute escape drill and test your smoke alarms monthly. Visit SoundTheAlarm.org/Illinois for more information and to pledge to prepare your family against home fires.

• Create an escape plan with at least two ways to exit every room in your home. Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows to meet.
• Practice your escape plan until everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes.
• Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Change the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it.
• Check the manufacturer’s date of your smoke alarms. If they’re 10 years or older, they likely need to be replaced. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer instructions.
  

This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations and support from regional partners: Motorola Solutions Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Grainger, Bank of America, Gallagher, and UL.

If you want to Volunteer and be part of the for Sound The Alarm initiative click here: SoundTheAlarm.org/Illinois. The Red Cross always need volunteers.
Virtual volunteer opportunities are available.

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 Twitter @RedCrossIL.