Every day, seven people die in home fires, most in homes that lack working smoke alarms. Sadly, children and the elderly disproportionately lose their lives. The American Red Cross wants to improve the odds and save lives, that’s why we launched our Home Fire Campaign in 2014.
A critical part of the campaign is Sound the Alarm, a series of home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events across the country. Red Cross volunteers, along with fire departments and other partners canvass at-risk neighborhoods, installing free smoke alarms, replacing batteries in existing alarms, and providing fire prevention and safety education. In just three years, we’ve accomplished so much, including the installation of more than 1 million smoke alarms and prepared more than 1 million people against home fires through our home visits.
8,288 people served by the Home Fire Campaign
Helped make 3,223 households safer
Created 2,301 home fire safety checklists
Installed 6,790 smoke alarms
Helped create 2,580 escape plans
Replaced 368 smoke alarm batteries
Watch this true story of a Wisconsin resident who had smoke alarms sitting on his counter, always thinking, I’ll get new batteries tomorrow. Local news and Fire Chief Weiss shares what happened next. Please, don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today!
