On Saturday, November 16, American Red Cross volunteers from all over the state will team up with the Boston Fire Department for a large-scale, single-day smoke alarm installation and fire safety education event known as “Sound the Alarm”. The goal of the event is to install free smoke alarms in 200 Boston homes as well as provide safety education and help residents prepare an evacuation plan.
The Red Cross has confirmed, alarms installed in Dorchester during a Sound the Alarm event in April 2023 went off during a fire a few months later. All three people who were in the home at the time of the fire heard the alarm and were able to escape without injury.
“Most people don’t realize, you have just two minutes to escape a home fire,” said Holly Grant, CEO of the Red Cross of Massachusetts. “That’s why this event helps save lives. But after a fire, the Red Cross is there too, working to connect families with vital services like emergency lodging, financial assistance and emotional support.”
Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death in a home fire in half. In addition to Boston’s Sound the Alarm event on November 16, the Red Cross will be holding a smoke alarm installation day in Lowell on November 9. Both communities have witnessed the tragic impact of fatal fires recently; a fire on Chelmsford Street in Lowell claimed the life of a man on October 21, and earlier this year, a 10-year-old girl and an adult resident died in a home fire on Meridian Street in East Boston.
During smoke alarm installations, volunteers will also share information on the causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan. This vital safety information is available in multiple languages and multilingual volunteers will be on hand to assist.
The Red Cross is grateful to statewide Sound the Alarm sponsor National Grid for its continuous support of this lifesaving program.
“Working with the American Red Cross’ “Sound the Alarm” campaign is one of the many ways National Grid is a partner for progress across Massachusetts,” said Lisa Wieland, President, National Grid New England. “Making homes safer by installing smoke alarms and providing fire safety education are part of our commitment to positively impact the customers and communities we serve.”
There is no cost for the smoke alarms, installations or education provided by the Red Cross - but we do ask interested residents to make an appointment in advance by calling 1-800-564-1234 or visiting soundthealarm.org/MA. The Red Cross is also seeking volunteers to join the year-round Home Fire Campaign.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% 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 redcross.org/MA or CruzRojaAmericana.org. Follow us on social media: Red Cross of Massachusetts on Facebook and LinkedIn, @RedCrossMA on Twitter, @AmericanRedCross on Instagram and TikTok.
About National Grid:
National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in Massachusetts and New York. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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