Baton Rouge—Tuesday, August 21—In the overnight hours of April 16, 2018, smoke alarms sounded alerting a father and his three adult sons to a home fire. The smoke alarms, which allowed the four to escape the home unharmed, were installed by Engine 12, shift B of the Baton Rouge Fire Department just 4 months earlier as part of the Louisiana Home Fire Campaign and partnership with the Louisiana Red Cross. The home, which was a total loss, did not have any working smoke alarms prior to the fire department’s visit.

“We know that proper education and having working smoke alarms in your home cuts the risk of death and injury in a home fire by half, but seeing things come full circle when a family actually escapes unharmed due to these actions is truly amazing,” said Merri Alessi, executive director for the Capital Area West chapter of the Louisiana Red Cross.

On Tuesday, August 28 at 9:00a.m., the American Red Cross will honor the Baton Rouge Fire Department firefighters of Engine 12 with the newly establish Sound the Alarm Lives Saved Award through the American Red Cross national headquarters. The presentation will take place at the Baton Rouge Chapter Headquarters at 4655 Sherwood Common Blvd. In addition to the firefighters from BRFD Engine 12, expected attendees include Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Baton Rouge Fire Department Chief, Ed Smith, American Red Cross Executive Director Merri Alessi, and others.

The American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, now Sound the Alarm. Save a Life., is a multi-year nationwide initiative with a goal to reduce deaths and injuries caused by home fires by 25 percent. Since the start of the campaign, there have been over 1.3 million smoke alarms installed and 464 lives saved. Visit SoundtheAlarm.org/louisiana for more information or to request free smoke alarms be installed in your home.

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