The American Red Cross says Athens will get a donation of home smoke detectors, part of more than 13 hundred that will be distributed around the state starting this month.
From the Red Cross…
The American Red Cross of Georgia is Sounding the Alarm on fire safety! This year, volunteers and staff will work to educate residents on how to stay safe from fires and install 1,300 free smoke alarms across the state. Since the start of the Home Fire Campaign in 2014, the Red Cross has installed 2.5 million free smoke alarms nationwide and made 1 million households safer across the country.
The Red Cross is working in partnership with volunteers and fire departments across the state to ensure Georgia residents are ready to respond to a fire if one should happen in their home. Going door-to-door, the goal is to educate residents on what to do if there is a fire, install smoke alarms as needed, ensure all warning systems are working, and help residents develop an effective plan in case of an emergency.
This year’s Sound the Alarm campaign in Georgia is taking place from April 15 through May 6. The first event will be held on Saturday, April 15 in Bulloch County as part of a national Red Cross initiative to install 50,000 free smoke alarms over the course of the year with partners in more than 50 high-risk communities across the country.
Home fires account for the majority of the more than 60,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to annually. Last year, the American Red Cross of Georgia responded to 2,895 single and multi-family home fires across the state. Additionally, 5,390 families were assisted because of those disasters.
Every day, seven people die as a result of home fires and often these tragedies occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Data has shown that one of the most effective ways to combat these statistics is with a working smoke alarm; in fact, smoke alarms can cut the risk of death by half. Since launching in October 2014, the Home Fire Campaign has saved at least 1,664 lives, including 238 right here in Georgia.
Upcoming Georgia Sound the Alarm installation and fire safety education opportunities April 15-May 6:
Bulloch County
4/15/2023: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Statesboro
Muscogee County
4/22/2023: 9:15 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Columbus
Clayton County
4/22/2023: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Forest Park
Toombs County
4/22/2023: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Vidalia
Johnson County
4/22/2023: 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., Wrightsville
Grady County
4/29/2023: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.., Cairo
Chatham County
4/29/2023: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Savannah
Floyd County
4/29/2023: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Rome
Gwinnett County
4/29/2023: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Lawrenceville
Carroll County
4/29/2023: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Carrollton
Clarke County
5/6/2023: 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Athens
Clayton County
5/6/2023: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Jonesboro