Red Cross and Partners Install 1143 Smoke Alarms During Sound the Alarm Event in Greenville

Together with its local fire department partners and volunteers, the American Red Cross of Upstate SC installed 1143 smoke alarms, making more than 350 homes safer during the Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation event this past Saturday. The event was held in five areas throughout Greenville. That number exceeds the goal of 1,000 smoke alarms installed.

In addition to installing free smoke alarms, the Red Cross and its partners also replaced batteries in existing alarms and helped families create escape plans. The sponsors included Bank of America, State Farm, G and P Trucking, Elliott Davis, LLC, SC Realtor’s Association, and South of the Border. The Red Cross thanks them all for their participation.

A Red Cross volunteer from Duke Energy explains a fire escape
plan with Greenville resident, Evelyn.

“It was incredibly encouraging to see how many people were willing to step in and help out their neighbors this weekend,” said Lisa Colby, executive director for the Upstate SC chapter. “The day was a big success and an important step in educating people about how to stay safe in the event they experience a home fire.”

This community-driven effort comes at a time when the number of people who need assistance from the Upstate SC chapter of the Red Cross after a home fire has increased by 26-percent, compared to the same time period last year (Jan. 1-April 26). So far this year in the Upstate, 765 people have needed assistance from the Red Cross after a home fire.

The Red Cross responds to nearly 64,000 disasters a year, the majority of which are home fires. Working smoke alarms in a home cut the risk of death by half, and having an escape plan further improves the odds of survival. The Red Cross wants to end these tragedies and save lives, the reason why the organization launched the Home Fire Campaign in 2014.

A Red Cross volunteer looks on as a firefighter from the
Parker District installs an alarm in the Kasper household.

Across the state, the Campaign is making a difference. As of April 27^th, the Palmetto SC Region of the Red Cross and its partners across the state have saved at 51 lives.

To learn more about the Home Fire Campaign, visit redcross.org. Please help us Sound the Alarm by volunteering to install smoke alarms, making a financial contribution, or taking steps to protect your own family from home fires.