Red Cross of WNY to Sound the Alarm in Greater Rochester

The American Red Cross of Western New York, Greater Rochester Chapter announced plans aimed at reducing the incidence of injuries and fatalities associated with home fires.  Red Cross volunteers, staff, and community partners will hold the annual Sound the Alarm event on Saturday, April 13. Sound the Alarm offers area residents who lack working smoke alarms in their home installation of up to four free smoke alarms as well as fire safety and evacuation education.  All residents have to do to schedule their free installation is to register online at www.soundthealarm.org/wny or call (585) 241-4390.

Sound the Alarm is an integral part of the American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, designed to prevent deaths and injuries from home fires, which account for most of the more than 60,000 disasters that the organization responds to each year. The impact of home fires is staggering:

• Home fires claim seven lives on average every day, most often in homes without working smoke alarms.
• In a typical year, home fires kill more people than all natural disasters combined in the U.S.
• More than $7 billion in property damage occurs every year due to home fires.
• Nearly 170 times a day, the American Red Cross helps a family affected by a home fire or other disaster

“Last year, Red Cross volunteers responded to 277 disasters within the Greater Rochester chapter – 268 of which were home fires,” said Nick Bond, CEO, American Red Cross of Western New York. “We want to reduce the incidence of home fires and the tragic injuries and fatalities that accompany them.  We were pleased to make local homes safer by installing over 1,200 free smoke alarms and providing fire safety education and escape plan training to families throughout the course of our last fiscal year.  Our Sound the Alarm day of action on April 13 is our biggest opportunity to create awareness and encourage people to sign up and, ultimately, help us fulfill our mission of alleviating suffering.”

Research indicates that a working smoke alarm can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half. Fire experts agree that you may have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it’s too late to get out. Bond noted that the Red Cross has an aggressive goal of installing 250 free smoke alarms in 65 Greater Rochester homes during the April 13 event. 

Additional volunteers are also needed to work in groups to install alarms and provide safety education, including a two-minute escape plan for families. A minimum of 100 volunteers are needed and training will be provided by the Red Cross. Those interested in volunteering and making their community safer can register at www.soundthealarm.org/wny.

Since its launch in 2014, the Sound the Alarm campaign has helped to save countless lives in Western New York and beyond. In that time, local volunteers have reached more than 16,000 homes, installed more than 30,000 smoke alarms and saved a documented 53 lives.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE Help protect your family by taking two simple steps: Practice your two-minute escape drill and test your smoke alarms monthly. Visit www.SoundtheAlarm.org/WNY for more information and to pledge to prepare your family against home fires.

• Create an escape plan with at least two ways to exit every room in your home. Select 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 knows to meet.
• Practice your escape plan until everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes.
• Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Change the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it.
• Check the manufacturer’s date of your smoke alarms. If they’re 10 years or older, they likely need to be replaced. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer instructions.

This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners: National Grid, DiMino’s Lewiston Tops, M&T Bank, Linde, Alera Group (Relph Benefit Advisors), Boulter Industrial Contractors, ESL Federal Credit Union, Bond, Schoeneck & King, Harter, Secrest & Emery, Monroe Piping & Sheet Metal, Schuler-Haas Electric, Dryden Mutual, Rich Products and Phillips Lytle.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.