Volunteers from the American Red Cross will be canvassing neighborhoods throughout Door County to talk about the importance of having working smoke alarms during their Sound the Alarm Home Safety Campaign. The program offers free smoke alarms to homeowners as well as guidance on creating a Family Disaster Plan.
According to Jen Warren, the Regional Communications Director for the American Red Cross of Wisconsin, home fires claim seven lives every day in the United States. With the particularly dry seasons that Door County experiences, the risk of fires spreading and being more difficult to contain are higher. Having a working smoke alarm to allow individuals to be alerted of fire danger is crucial.
“The reason that we do this is that the Red Cross responds to a disaster every eight minutes and the majority of those are home fires,” said Warren.
With the Sound the Alarm Home Safety Campaign, the Red Cross installs free smoke alarms in homes, checks existing smoke alarm batteries, and educates people about home fire safety and preparedness.
“At no cost to homeowners, we will demonstrate some simple changes you can make in your home that will help protect your family against fire,” said Warren.
Warren says one of the biggest concerns surrounding smoke detectors is that they often go unchecked after installation which can render them ineffective at detecting fires.
“People that have smoke alarms just install the alarm and then think that’s it,” she said, “they have to remember to check their batteries.”
Making sure your smoke detector is working, in good condition, and has new batteries is imperative and only takes a few moments. Unfortunately, not all fires are preventable, but having an effective alarm system is the key for an individual or their family to get out of the home safely in the event of a fire.
“Most people don’t understand, you know, that they really only have just a few minutes to get out if they have a fire, two minutes actually, to escape a home fire,” said Warren, “fire is the nation’s most frequent disaster and a smoke alarm cuts the risk of death in half.”
Homeowners can schedule a free home visit with the Red Cross. During home visits, Red Cross-trained volunteers and/or licensed/insured professionals will share valuable emergency preparedness information, demonstrate and install a smoke alarm and help guide home occupants on developing a Family Disaster Plan. A printable worksheet to plan and practice home fire drills can also be found on the American Red Cross website.
“The Red Cross installs these smoke alarms for free so if you don’t have a smoke detector, there’s no reason not to call us and have one installed,” said Warren, “it could save your life.”
To schedule a free home visit online click here, or call (888) 376-4056 to set up an appointment to have smoke alarms checked or installed.
