Red Cross Saves Lives And Installs Over 22,400 Free Smoke Alarms In SoCal Communities

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross is proud to announce that more than 22,400 free smoke alarms have been installed in homes throughout the Southland that need them most as part of the PrepareSoCal initiative and Sound the Alarm Save a Life home fire prevention campaign.

Over the past year, Red Cross volunteers visited over 7,700 homes and helped create emergency plans in communities at high risk for home fires and other natural disasters. Along with getting families prepared against the threat of home fires, the PrepareSoCal campaign helped train over 17,400 3rd through 5th grade students about disaster preparedness with the Pillowcase Project and taught over 1,100 individuals on CPR and first aid.

"Studies show that working smoke alarms in homes can prevent injuries and help save lives," said Jarrett Barrios, CEO American Red Cross Los Angeles Region. "PrepareSoCal has provided emergency preparedness training for thousands of families in Southern California and continues to build resilient communities in the face of disasters."

Every day, seven people are killed and another 36 are injured because of home fires. Tragically, most of these deaths occur in homes that don't have working smoke alarms.

In a typical year, home fires kill more people in the United States than all other natural disasters combined. They are the most common disaster people face in this country – and are the majority of the nearly 64,000 disasters the Red Cross responds to every year. However, a recent Red Cross survey showed most people are overconfident and underprepared when it comes to home fire safety. The details of this survey are available here.

PrepareSoCal is an American Red Cross initiative designed to address the needs of individuals and families in Southern California. To prepare for disasters, small and large, by providing tips, tools, and training, and to promote community resiliency. Thanks to a grant provided by Edison International, PrepareSoCal is working in some of the southlands more vulnerable communities to build resiliency and keep individuals and families safe.

Sound the Alarm is part of the multi-year Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, launched in 2014 to reduce the number of home fire deaths and injuries in this country by 25 percent. Since 2014, Red Cross volunteers and partners have installed more than 1.2 million smoke alarms and reached more than a million children through preparedness programs. Across the nation, the home fire preparedness campaign is credited with helping to save 431 lives.

WHAT YOU CAN DO To help save lives, the Red Cross is asking every household in America to take two simple steps:

1. Practice fire drills at home. Fire experts agree that people may have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home and the Red Cross urges every household to create a fire escape plan and practice it until everyone can escape in less than two minutes.

2. Check smoke alarms monthly. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half. Place smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms. Test smoke alarms once a month. Change the batteries at least once a year, if your model requires it.

About the American Red Cross: 
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcrossla.org or cruzrojaLA.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossLA.  

SOURCE American Red Cross Los Angeles Region

Related Links

http://www.redcross.org