BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (November 20, 2015)—Statistics show Alabama ranks among the top 10 states in the nation in terms of fire deaths and injuries. Seven times a day, someone dies in a home fire. The Red Cross Home Fire Preparedness Campaign is happening all over the country and involves Red Cross workers joining with local fire departments and community groups to visit neighborhoods at high risk for fires. Those visits include educating people about fire safety through door-to-door visits and installation of smoke alarms in these areas. The goal of the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign is to reduce fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent over the next five years.
The installation of approximately 1000 smoke alarms this Saturday, November 21, will be the largest door-to-door smoke alarm installation campaign ever for Alabama. Red Cross teams and volunteers will be working with fire departments in Birmingham, Bessemer, Chelsea, Irondale, Hanceville, Jacksonville, Anniston, Morris and Ohatchee from 8:00 am to noon.
“Installing smoke alarms and having an escape plan decreases the risk of home fire deaths by half, so we are partnering with local fire departments and community groups to help ensure the safety of residents,” said Alicia Anger, Director of Communications and Marketing, Alabama Region. “Deaths and injuries from home fires can be prevented if families know what to do should a fire occur.”
The Red Cross is asking that every household practices two simple steps that can save lives: practice a two minute fire drill and test or install smoke alarms. If a fire starts, you may only have two minutes to get to safety. Everyone in a household should know of at least two ways to escape from each room in your home and families should have a specific location to meet outside of the home in case of a fire. Having a properly working smoke alarm is important because it alerts families of a fire as soon as a fire is detected. More information on the Red Cross's two minute drills and safety plans can be found here.
