Latest news with #RedCrossHomeFireCampaign
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Red Cross giving away free smoke alarm installations in New Rochelle. What to know
The American Red Cross wants to make sure you're prepared for a fire emergency. The Metro New York North chapter is holding a smoke detector installation giveaway in New Rochelle as a part of its 'Sound the Alarm' event on Saturday, May 3. The local Red Cross chapter, which serves Westchester and Rockland counties, Greenwich, CT, and the US Military Academy at West Point, will install smoke alarms for free for residents who don't have working ones. All folks have to do is sign up ahead of the event date. 'We encourage everyone who doesn't have a working smoke alarm in their home to reach out and sign up for an appointment,' Stephanie Dunn Ashley, Chapter CEO of the American Red Cross, Metro NY North, said in an announcement for the event — 'Do it now, before you need it.' Last minute spring break ideas: Spring break activities: Try sensory-friendly playplace We Rock the Spectrum New Rochelle According to Dunn Ashley, home fires are this country's most frequent disaster. On average, seven people die every day from a home fire. "Every second counts during a home fire," Dunn Ashley said. "Most people don't realize that we have just two minutes to escape." That's why the American Red Cross started a national campaign called the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign. Sound the Alarm events are a part of the campaign, focused on bolstering home fire safety in the lower Hudson Valley. "We do this work throughout the country and in every community," Dunn Ashley added. "But our Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events are typically held in communities where we see a higher-than-average rate of home fires, and where the people impacted may have additional obstacles to their recovery from a fire." The Home Fire Campaign has helped save at least 2,284 lives since its launch in October 2014, according to the Red Cross. The Metro NY North chapter alone has installed over 11,000 free smoke alarms through its Sound the Alarm events in the area. Volunteers and community partners work together with the Red Cross's Metro NY North chapter to plan a suitable time and date with those who sign up to install as many smoke alarms as a home may need for free to ensure a family's safety. The upcoming May 3 Sound the Alarm event is for New Rochelle residents. But the Metro NY North chapter encourages all residents of the Lower Hudson Valley without working smoke alarms to request one. Those in need of a smoke alarm and installation can request one by visiting or by calling 1-877-RED-CROSS (877-733-2767) and selecting Option 5. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Need a smoke alarm in New Rochelle? Get a free installation May 3
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Red Cross urging you to test your smoke alarms as clocks change
The American Red Cross is encouraging you to test your their smoke alarms to make sure the devices are working as you turn the clocks forward of daylight saving time on Sunday. 'Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half as you only have about two minutes to safely get out,' Jorge Martinez, CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania, said in a release. 'Every second counts when there's a home fire and the sooner an alarm alerts you to a fire, the sooner you can get to a safer place. When daylight saving time starts this weekend, test your smoke alarms to help prevent a tragedy in your home.' Over the past year, local Red Cross volunteers responded to help more than 6,100 people across Pennsylvania affected by more than 1,500 home fires, which account for most of the about 65,000 disasters that organization responds to annually across the country. The organization suggests: • Installing smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. • Replacing smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. Components such as sensors can become less sensitive over time. Follow your alarm's manufacturer instructions. • Practicing your two-minute home fire escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to escape a burning home before it's too late. • Including at least two ways to get out of every room and selecting a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor's home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet. If you can't afford to buy smoke alarms or are physically unable to install one, the Red Cross may be able to help. Go to for more information. Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, along with community partners, has saved at least 2,284 lives by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas across the country. To learn more about the campaign and how to get involved, go to
