RENO, NV (January 10, 2019)- In celebration of the community service commitment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the American Red Cross of Northern Nevada is encouraging residents of Reno and Sparks to join its commitment to community safety by signing up to receive a smoke alarm and installation.

This is a free service and there is no obligation. Installations will be performed by Red Cross volunteers on Monday, January 21. To request a free smoke alarm installation for yourself or a loved one, contact the Red Cross of Northern Nevada at 775-954-1185. The deadline to request an installation is Friday, January 18. During the installation, volunteers will also customize fire escape plans and share education information.

The goal of this event is to engage area residents in Red Cross safety efforts to prevent home fires. Through the simple act of requesting a smoke alarm installation, residents are doing their part and making a commitment to help prepare our community for emergencies and disasters.

The smoke alarm initiative is part of the Home Fire Campaign, launched by the Red Cross in 2014, with the goal of reducing the number of home fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent. The Red Cross responds to nearly 64,000 disasters a year, with the majority of these being home fires. Some additional facts and statistics clearly demonstrate how home fires affect us daily:

*Every day seven people in this country die in a home fire and another 36 people are hurt. Most of these deaths occur in homes that lack working smoke alarms.

* While cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries, nearly 40 percent of people have forgotten to turn off a stove or oven.

* People have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home.

*Smoke alarms cut the risk of death from a home fire in half.

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 redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.