Red Cross to install free smoke alarms Saturday

Courtesy of the American Red Cross:

On average, home fires kill 7 people and injure another 36 — every single day in the United States. That’s why the American Red Cross launched its nationwide Home Fire Campaign in 2014 with the goal of reducing the number of home fire deaths and injuries.

A key component of the campaign is a series of “Sound the Alarm – Save a Life” events in which Red Cross volunteers, working with local fire departments and other partners, visit homes to install free smoke alarms if needed and help families create escape plans. It is believed that the “Sound the Alarm” neighborhood visits have saved more than 550 lives throughout the United States since the Home Fire Campaign began.

On Saturday, April 27, Red Cross teams will conduct Sound the Alarm home visits in designated areas in the city of Hollister and the nearby community of Tres Pinos. That day, the American Red Cross of the Central Coast will be installing free smoke alarms and providing fire and earthquake preparedness education in visits planned between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eight volunteer teams are planned for Hollister; two, for Tres Pinos.

The work in the two communities is part of a national push the Red Cross is making during the three weekends between April 27 and May 12 to install 100,000 smoke alarms in communities across the country. Since the campaign began, Red Cross teams have installed more than 1.6 million smoke alarms in homes that need them. In just the three counties (Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz) that the local Red Cross chapter serves, volunteers installed more than 1,500 smoke alarms in homes in 2018 alone.

On April 27, local Red Cross volunteers will be partnering with personnel from the Hollister Fire Department and students from Seaside High School. But more volunteers are needed. If you can help, please:

• Contact the local Red Cross chapter’s Disaster Program Specialist, Helen Cosentino, by sending email to [email protected].
• Phone 831-600-4914.
• Or sign up online at soundthealarm.org/NorCalCoastal.

Please also email Helen Cosentino if you want additional information about the home visits on April 27.

In addition to the local Sound the Alarm event planned for that day, the American Red Cross of the Central Coast is also offering the installation of free smoke alarms and educational visits on an appointment basis throughout Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties. If you would like free smoke alarms installed in your home, please send email to [email protected] to schedule an appointment.