by David Guth

Approximately three dozen Red Cross volunteers, University of Kansas students and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire-Medical personnel fanned out in North Lawrence on Oct. 12 and installed smoke alarms in 70 homes as part of the American Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign.

Home fires claim more lives nationally in a typical year than all natural disasters combined. Sound the Alarm is a fire prevention campaign where volunteers visit neighborhoods, install free smoke alarms, provide safety tips and help residents create home fire escape plans.

Sound the Alarm is part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which launched in October 2014 and has saved at least 2,169 lives. The North Lawrence event coincided with the last day of National Fire Prevention Week. October is also Fire Prevention Month.

“Sound the Alarm is one of the projects I’m passionate about because it really does save lives,” said Kevin Charlwood, Red Cross volunteer and organizer of the event. “I’ve been very fortunate to never, personally, have gone through a fire, but I’ve gone out on fire calls as part of a Red Cross Disaster Action Team and see firsthand what happens if people have a problem.

“Fire prevention is the key,” Charlwood added.

LDCFM Division Chief of Prevention Chris King says fire prevention is a year-round mission. He oversees a home fire safety program that includes home safety inspections on request, and the installation of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. He says fire prevention programs such as Sound the Alarm are critical in reaching people who either are unaware of or cannot afford to take simple, but necessary, home fire prevention steps.

“We partner not only with the Red Cross, but also with the state fire marshal’s office for the ‘Get Alarmed’ program throughout the state,” King said.

He also noted that because of the introduction of more flammable home furnishings in recent years, people have less than two minutes to escape from a house fire. Knowing that, King said it is critical that people have an escape plan that includes a designated place for family members to gather after leaving the house. He also stressed that once family members leave a burning house, they should stay out.

Among the volunteers involved in the North Lawrence event were several students for the University of Kansas Red Cross Club. Daniela Beers, the president and a sophomore from Junction City, said Sound the Alarm is an important initiative.

“The statistics of how many people’s lives can be saved by installing smoke alarms is something we all should be looking at and helping each other,” Beers said. “We are all a community, and by participating in this, we are not only helping each other, but also saving lives.”      

Jane Blocher, executive director of the Greater Kansas Chapter of the Red Cross, said she was thrilled by the turnout of volunteers and the results of the four-hour canvass of neighborhoods.

“We go into these homes and see how unprotected many of them are, especially senior citizens who are unable to get up on a ladder and change their batteries on a regular basis,” Blocher said. “It’s a real good feeling when you walk out of there knowing that you have left a home much more protected than you found it.”

The Red Cross has installed approximately 2.9 million smoke detectors in 1.2 million homes, serving 3.2 million people since launching the Home Fire Campaign. Anyone interested in receiving more fire prevention information should call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or go online to www.redcross.org/fire. They can also download the free Red Cross Emergency app from most online app stores.
 

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 follow us on social media.