St. Croix, USVI – March 17, 2025 – The American Red Cross, V.I. Fire Service and community partners are teaming up again this month for Sound the Alarm home fire safety events on St. Croix and St. Thomas. This effort is part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, launched in 2014 to help reduce home fire-related deaths and injuries.
Home fires are this country’s deadliest and most frequent type of disaster. In calendar year 2024, the U.S. Home Fire Administration recorded 2,089 home fire fatalities in the U.S.
At Sound the Alarm events, Red Cross volunteers, local fire departments and community partners go door-to-door in neighborhoods vulnerable to home fires, installing free smoke alarms and sharing information on the causes of home fires, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan.
Both events are open to community volunteers. Register at redcross.org/USVI.
St. Croix
Service area: La Grande Princesse
Staging location: Fredericksted Health Care, 6C Estate La Grande Princesse
Event time: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Register your home: To request free smoke alarms in advance, please call 340-778-5104.
St. Thomas
Service area: Estate Tutu
Staging area: Wesleyan Methodist Church, 147 Annas Retreat
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Register your home: To request free smoke alarms in advance, please call 340-774-0375.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE With the support of our community partners and dedicated volunteers, the campaign has installed 2.9 million free smoke alarms nationwide and helped to make 1.2 million homes safer. Through 2024, the campaign is credited with helping save more than 2,200 lives, about one-third of which were children.
WHEN FIRES HAPPEN After a home fire, Red Cross volunteers work with fire departments to connect with families for needs like emergency lodging, financial assistance and emotional support. Our services are free and available for all those in need.
WAYS TO HELP Visit redcross.org/USVI to become a volunteer make a donation to support our lifesaving work.
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 follow us on social media.
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