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Yahoo
17-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The American Red Cross is providing 500 households with free smoke detectors. Here's why.
Starting April 26, the American Red Cross volunteers from the American Red Cross will canvass the state to install smoke alarms for free for 500 Wisconsin households Since 2014, the Red Cross's Sound the Alarm program has rallied hundreds of volunteers to assess and replace smoke detectors. The effort aims to reduce home fire deaths in Wisconsin. An average of seven people die per day in the United States in home fires. "People should understand that this is serious," said Mark Thomas, CEO of the American Red Cross of Wisconsin. "We're all about trying to prevent loss of life and preserve people's personal property." Here's what to know about the event. There are four upcoming Sound the Alarm dates in Milwaukee, Racine, Kaukauna and Sturgeon Bay. The Milwaukee event is on April 26. Sturgeon Bay, Kaukauna and Racine have events on May 3. In Milwaukee and Racine, volunteers will begin visiting homes at 8 a.m. and conclude by 2:30 p.m. In Kaukauna and Sturgeon Bay, volunteers will visit homes from 10 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Residents can sign up for a smoke alarm replacement at or call 888-376-4056. Usually, smoke detectors need to be replaced every eight to 10 years. Detectors often make high pitched chirping noises when the battery is low or other issues are impacting the system. If you're unsure of whether or not your fire alarm is currently working, you can sign up for the event and have your alarm checked by volunteers, said Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski. According to the National Fire Protection Association, over half of fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or improperly installed detectors that fail to activate when a fire occurs. Last year, the campaign brought 3,945 free smoke alarms to households in Wisconsin, assisting over 1,500 families with their development of a household fire safety plan and smoke detector replacement. More: Is my landlord responsible for my smoke alarm? And other common questions about smoke alarms in Milwaukee Three volunteers will visit every household. One person is responsible for the smoke alarm installation, a second person will walk around the home and discuss a safety plan with the residents, and the third volunteer will take notes. No. To sign up for a Sound the Alarm smoke detector replacement, individuals only need to provide their name, address, and phone number so that volunteer teams can contact them before arriving. "With all of the discussion these days around people being U.S. citizens and verification, like we don't get into any of that," Thomas said. "Our alarms are available to anyone that allows us into the home." According to Lipski, common household items can become fire starters when improperly handled. Homeowners should be cautious when storing or charging computers, cell phones, mobility devices or lithium ion batteries. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends using safety locks and guardrails on shelves and cabinets where flammable materials are stored to prevent them from tipping or falling. Additionally, the administration states that materials that could cause a fire should never be placed in the sun or near an open flame or heat source. Many items that are plastic, foam or rubber contain hydrocarbons, meaning they can function as fuel for fires. "It's like gasoline. It's just in solid form. Once it starts burning, you have a dramatically reduced time to escape your house," Lipski said. If you're concerned about non-working fire alarms in your home, you can call the Milwaukee Fire Department Smoke Alarm Hotline at (414) 286-89880. The bilingual assistive service connects Milwaukee residents to a team of firefighters who will visit your home to check your smoke alarm. The Milwaukee Fire Department Survive Alive House trains second grade and fifth grade students in fire safety and home fire survival techniques. For more information about training sessions, contact call 414-777-7889. The Milwaukee Fire Department hosts a 40-minute fire extinguisher safety training at the Milwaukee Fire Academy located at 6680 N. Teutonia Avenue. Participants must bring their own extinguisher. Group training requests can be submitted on the Milwaukee Fire Department website. Fire Extinguisher Loaner and Rental Companies: ACM Alarm & Detection: 414-541-9000 Accurate Recharge & Fire Suppression: 414-464-1870 Affordable Fire Protection LLC: 414-778-1181 All Safe Fire Equipment: 262-782-7470 Cintas Fire Protection: 262-946-0117 General Fire Equipment Co.: Inc.: 414-475-0959 Milwaukee Recharging Service: 414-774-0772 Tamia Fowlkes is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at tfowlkes@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Red Cross providing free smoke alarms in Milwaukee, Racine, Sheboygan
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Women honored for saving victim being attacked at Cascade Valley Metro Park
AKRON, Ohio (WJW) – The American Red Cross of Greater Akron honored good Samaritans on Thursday night for incredible acts of heroism, and among them were three courageous women who came to the rescue of a victim being attacked in a local park. The dramatic story began to unfold on August 12, 2024, when the three friends decided to go for a walk at Cascade Valley Metro Park in Akron and heard a woman yelling for help. 'When we came around the corner, I saw her with a man who was holding her and she was screaming and fighting, and I just kept running right down to them.' Donna McFadden, 65, told FOX 8. McFadden told her friends, 67-year-old Susan Victor and 65-year-old Laura Rufe, to call 911 and then she confronted the man, 32-year-old Isaac Armour, who had grabbed the 33-year-old woman from behind after she came out of a park bathroom. 'He tried to say, 'oh we're together,' and you know, 'we're arguing and she's being dramatic.' I didn't believe him for one second,' McFadden said. FOX 8's Wayne Dawson shares update on cancer journey: 'Still fighting day by day' 'Donna started yelling at him, 'let her go, let her go,' because the woman was screaming, 'don't leave, please don't leave, he's holding me,'' Victor added. That's when McFadden took matters into her own hands. 'I was hitting him and pushing him and screaming for him to stop and he didn't, so I picked up a rock and I hit him in the head with it,' she said. 'She threatened him again with a second rock, and he was just like 'okay lady, okay,' and then he let her go,' Rufe said, continuing the story. Armour was arrested and is now faces charges that include kidnapping and attempted rape. The victim told investigators that the three women arrived just in time. 'She was at the point where she said she was ready to just give up because she felt no one was going to help her,' McFadden said. 'We were where we needed to be at the time she needed us. You know, and I think she even said, 'those were my three angels,'' Rufe said. The courageous women believe it was fate or divine intervention that brought them to Cascade Valley that day. Nearly one-third of Ohio's egg-laying birds killed in bird flu outbreak They were planning on going to a different park but at the last minute changed their plans because they wanted to see the eagles that nest at Cascade Valley. For their actions, McFadden, Victor and Rufe were recognized by the American Red Cross with the organization's Acts of Courage Awards. 'To do that and to not think 'gosh, I could get hurt today too,' they just did it to help another human being and it was incredible. Absolutely incredible,' said Rachel Stine, the executive director of the Red Cross Chapter of Greater Akron. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
