DETROIT (March 27, 2024) – The American Red Cross wants to make sure everyone, especially those most vulnerable, have working smoke alarms and an escape plan to help stay safe from a home fire.
As part of its Sound the Alarm initiative in April and May, Red Cross volunteers and team members will be canvassing select neighborhoods across the state to distribute information about installing free smoke alarms in homes and how to become a volunteer and help the Red Cross install them. The information will be in the form of a flyer or door hanger.
Volunteers and team members will be wearing Red Cross branded apparel and canvassing during daylight hours Monday – Saturday. They will be in these 16 communities: Detroit, Alpena, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Boyne City, Flint, Fruitport (Muskegon), Grayling, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Jackson, Petosky, Saginaw, Waldron, Wyoming and Zeeland.
Home fires claim seven lives every day nationally, and most of them occur in homes without working smoke alarms. To address this daily threat, the Red Cross installs free smoke alarms in homes that need them year-round and amplifies that awareness with a smoke alarm installation and fire safety education drive called Sound the Alarm.
In Michigan, Sound the Alarm kicks off Saturday, April 13, and runs through Saturday, May 11. During this four-week stretch, the Red Cross and its community partners will install smoke alarms and discuss how to create a fire escape plan.
Sound the Alarm is part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which was launched in 2014 to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries by installing free smoke alarms and teaching families about home fire safety. These smoke alarms are made by possible by donations to the Red Cross.
Since the start of the campaign, the Red Cross has installed 2.6 million smoke alarms in homes and made 1.1 million households safer nationwide. In Michigan, the Red Cross has installed nearly 78,000 smoke alarms and made more than 30,000 households safer between 2014 and December 31, 2023.
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MEDIA CONTACT: David Olejarz / david.olejarz@redcross.org / 313-303-0606
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.