A smoke alarm can save lives

Did you know that smoke alarms can save your life? Unfortunately, seven people die every day due to home fires, so having working smoke alarms can reduce the risk of death by half.

In order to help lower these numbers, the American Red Cross is asking the public to take action by volunteering to install free smoke alarms across the country during Activate Your Alarm events.

https://www.redcross.org/cruz-roja/obtener-ayuda/tipos-de-emergencias/incendios/activa-tu-alarma.html

The American Red Cross announced that this year they will be installing free smoke alarms, creating escape plans and sharing fire safety information.

The Red Cross is calling on you to stay tuned as they are holding events called Activate Your Alarm and there is always one near you. It calls on you to make an even greater impact and donate to help families prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires.

It is very important that you prepare and if you need a smoke alarm and cannot afford the price of a smoke alarm or are physically unable to install a smoke alarm, the American Red Cross may be able to help.

To do so, we ask that you contact your local American Red Cross division by phone, or visit your local American Red Cross division’s website. On the page you will find the “Our Work” section, where you can look for information on the Home Fire Campaign or a Home Fire Safety Visit.

Remember to plan with your family for any type of fire. In the case of a home fire, ask yourself if your family can escape safely in just 2 minutes?

Or is your home prepared for a house fire? Just these 2 simple steps can help you prepare your family to escape from a house fire.

The American Red Cross asks that you practice a 2-minute drill,

and plan your home fire escape routes.

It is important to practice the 2-minute drill at least twice a year and everyone in your home should know two ways to escape from every room in your home.

Remember that in a real fire, you must leave the house, stay outside and call 911. Never go back for people, pets or things.

Another important recommendation is to test your smoke alarms every month by pressing the test button. You should hear three beeps, which tells you that the alarm is working. Don’t hear the beeps? Then it’s time to change the batteries, if your device uses batteries. Also, if your smoke alarm is 10 years old or older, it’s time to get a new alarm.

As I told you, according to the American Red Cross, seven people die every day in home fires, most of them in homes without working smoke alarms. That’s why he launched the Home Fire Campaign to save lives.

He says they make home visits, have installed more than 2.2 million free smoke alarms and have prepared more than 2.5 million people for home fires.

So he stresses that most of us don’t realize that we have only two minutes to escape a home fire, which is the most frequent disaster in the country.

I share with you some figures of this situation to make you aware of its importance, as I told you 7 people die every day because of a home fire, most of them affect children and elderly, more than 30 people suffer injuries from home fires every day, every year more than $7 billion in property damage is caused by home fires.

That’s why the American Red Cross and our partners are preparing families to act quickly through our Home Fire Campaign.

The agency recalls saving lives by successfully installing 2.5 million free smoke detectors and helping make 1 million homes safer in at-risk communities. But home fires remain a daily threat, which is why the Home Fire Campaign continues across the country. https://www.redcross.org/cruz-roja/obtener-ayuda/tipos-de-emergencias/incendios/activa-tu-alarma.html

This is funded in part by the American Red Cross.