By Edgar Zuniga
American Red Cross Utah/Nevada Region Communications Manager
 

After Red Cross volunteers installed three new smoke alarms in her West Jordan, Utah, home, Brette Sanabria says she breathed a sigh of relief. “We can now sleep better at night,” she says.

Brette and her husband Miguel are parents to four daughters, age two to 13, and the girls’ safety is their top priority. They say they knew they needed to replace their old smoke alarms, so they called the Red Cross to set up an appointment. “We want our kids to be as safe -- fire really is no joke,” Miguel said. 

Home fires are most common disaster and cause seven deaths every day
Rob Jones and Brian Van Ausdal, two Utah-based Red Cross volunteers, installed the smoke alarms in the Sanabria home and provided them with fire safety education. “Home fires take too many lives and hurt too people,” Van Ausdal said.

According to the Red Cross, a working smoke alarm and two-minute escape plan doubles a family’s chances of surviving a house fire. “We want to teach our kids about safety and fire alarms and what they’re for,” Miguel said. “We’ll work on a game plan and show our children the exits. That way we will all be safer if something ever happens.”

Sound the Alarm saves lives
Since the American Red Cross launched Sound the Alarm, its national home fire prevention program,

more than 2.2 million free smoke alarms have been installed and more than 2.5 million people have been taught how to prepare for home fires. This month alone, the American Red Cross plans to install more than 50,000 smoke alarms.

On May 7, the Red Cross installed more than 200 smoke alarms in West Jordan and will be installing alarms again on Saturday, May 21, in Salt Lake City’s Rose Park neighborhood.

“It’s an opportunity to serve our neighbors and make them safer,” said Red Cross volunteer Rob Jones, who will be installing smoke alarms during Sound the Alarm events. “Smoke alarms save lives and go to the heart of our organization’s mission: prevent and alleviate human suffering.” 

Learn more
Interested in installing smoke alarms and helping save lives, visit: soundthealarm.org/utah
To sign up for free smoke alarm installation, visit: redcross.org/utahsmokealarm

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.