The American Red Cross of Georgia launches it annual “Sounding the Alarm” campaign Oct. 14 in Augusta.
The program’s goal is to educate residents on how to stay safe from fires and to install 1,300 free smoke alarms across the state, according to a news release from the Red Cross.
“Since the start of the Home Fire Campaign in 2014, the Red Cross has installed more than 2.5 million free smoke alarms nationwide and made one million households safer across the country,” the news release said.
The Red Cross of East Central GA will partner with the Augusta Fire Department and John Deere to install free smoke alarms on Oct. 14 in the Harrisburg neighborhood. They will go door-to-door to educate people 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.
The campaign will go through Nov. 11 across the state.
Home fires account for most of the more than 60,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to each year. In 2022, the American Red Cross of Georgia responded to about 2,800 single and multi-family home fires across the state with more than 5,300 families receiving assistance.
“Every day, seven people die because 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 1,928 lives, including 240 in Georgia,” the release said.
Call (706) 922-8494 to schedule a free smoke alarm installation appointment.
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