St. Croix, USVI – January 25, 2023 – On Saturday, January 28, American Red Cross VI volunteers and the VI Fire Service will team up again to install free smoke alarms for local families vulnerable to home fires during Sound the Alarm events on St. Croix and St. Thomas. Residents of St. John can also register for future installations. This effort is part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Program, which has helped save 1,505 lives -- including two in St. Croix -- through these outreach and education efforts.
“We’re excited to continue to build on this program which saved the lives of a grandmother and granddaughter in Frederiksted,” says Tina Beazer, Executive Director, American Red Cross of the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Home fires are ‘everyday’ tragedies that are a constant threat to our community, but together we can make a difference.”
Events and activities listed below begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 28:
St. Croix - Williams Delight, 237 Long Wait Rd, Frederiksted, VI 00840
St. Thomas - Smith Bay, 65 Smith Bay Rd, St. Thomas, VI 00802
St. John - Registrations at Cruz Bay, 86 Prince St, St. John, VI 00830
MAKING A DIFFERENCE Home fire safety events are an important part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign launched in October 2014 to reduce home fire-related deaths and injuries. Through December 2022, this program has installed more than 2.4 million free smoke alarms nationwide and made 1 million families safer.
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS WELCOME Volunteers are needed to help install free smoke alarms, share information on the causes of home fires, provide education on what to do if a fire starts, and show families how to create an escape plan. ***Sign up for an event at www.SoundTheAlarm.org/USVI and search by zip code.
WITH APPRECIATION This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations to the Home Fire Program from regional partners: WellsFargo, Walmart, Lockheed Martin and Oracle.
The American Red Cross of the U.S. Virgin Islands has offices in St. Croix and St. Thomas (serving St. Thomas, St. John and the Water Island districts). Call us at 340-778-5104 (St. Croix) or 340-774-0375 (St. Thomas). For more information, please visit redcross.org/USVI or facebook.com/RedCrossUSVI.
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 visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
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