MILLINOCKET – The American Red Cross of Maine and Emera Maine are partnering with the Millinocket Fire Department to make households safer by installing free smoke alarms and teaching families about home fire safety on Saturday, May 5.
Millinocket residents can schedule an appointment to have smoke alarms installed in their homes – free of charge – by calling (207) 874-1192 ext. 113 or by signing up at SoundTheAlarm.org/Maine.
Home fire safety teams will follow-up on Saturday, May 5, by speaking to residents with appointments about fire safety, creating emergency escape plans with them and installing battery-operated smoke alarms free of charge. This event is made possible thanks to the efforts of community volunteers and the Millinocket Fire Department and to a grant from Emera Maine.
The Millinocket event is part of the Home Fire Campaign launched by the Red Cross in 2014 to reduce home fire deaths and injuries. Since then, the Red Cross and its partners have installed 1.2 million smoke alarms nationally and more than 12,000 in Maine.
The efforts are paying off. Last year, eight lives in Farmingdale were saved because of the Home Fire Campaign. Nationally, at least 416 lives have been saved.
Working smoke alarms reduce the risk of death in a home fire by half – and having an escape plan further increases the odds of survival.
Emera Maine’s grant enables the Red Cross to stage a Home Fire Campaign event in Millinocket.
“We’re partnering with the Red Cross for the fourth time on a Home Fire Campaign event,” said Charlene McQuaid, Vice President, HR and External Affairs, for Emera Maine. “Following the success of similar projects in Machias, Ellsworth and Dover-Foxcroft, we wanted to continue the good work the Red Cross is doing to make Maine people safer. Safety is at the forefront of all we do at Emera Maine, so we couldn’t be happier to provide this support.”
“Smoke alarms do save lives. We know that is true here in Maine and across the country,” said Kristen Simas, the Red Cross disaster program manager for Penobscot, Piscataquis and Aroostook counties. “You only have about two minutes to escape a home fire and working smoke alarms can make all the difference.”
About the American Red Cross
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 MaineRedCross.org or visit us on Twitter at @ARC_Maine and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MaineRedCross
About Emera Maine
Emera Maine is committed to delivering safe, reliable electric service. As the state's second-largest electric utility, the company delivers electricity to 157,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 9,350 square miles in five counties in eastern and northern Maine.
