Red Cross to install free smoke alarms to residents in Ashland, Mansfield

The American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio, along with volunteers and partners, will visit local homes to help install 100,000 free smoke alarms across the country during a national effort to Sound the Alarm against home fires.

The home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events in below are part of a two-week push of Sound the Alarm events in 100 cities with a high risk of home fires—which kill more people in a typical year in the U.S than all other natural disasters combined. Most deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms. In Northeast Ohio, the Red Cross responds, on average, to three home fires every 24 hours.

In Northeast Ohio, the Sound the Alarm installation events will take place in several communities including:

·Sandusky: Saturday, April 27, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

·North Ridgeville: Monday, April 29, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

·Ashland: Thursday, May 2, Noon to 4 p.m.

·Mansfield: Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

·Norwalk: Monday, May 6, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

·Lorain: Wednesday, May 8, Noon to 5 p.m.

·West Salem: Saturday, May 11, 9 a.m. to 1 p. m.

“Our partners and volunteers are going to help us save lives by installing smoke alarms in homes throughout Ashland, Richland and Wayne Counties,” said Lara Kiefer, Executive Director of the Red Cross Lake Erie/Heartland Chapter.They will help us make our communities safer by offering their time and talent to this lifesaving initiative.

HOW VOLUNTEERS WILL HELP During Sound the Alarm events, Red Cross volunteers and members of local partners will go door-to-door to install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms and help families create home fire escape plans. Services are free and available to all people in need. Visit SoundTheAlarm.org/NEO for more details.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR EVENTS In Northeast Ohio, there is a need for 500 volunteers to install free smoke alarms and help families create home fire escape plans in high-risk communities. People interested in helping at events can register now at SoundTheAlarm.org/NEO or call (216) 431-3328 to volunteer and raise funds for lifesaving services.

Sound the Alarm events are part of the Home Fire Campaign, which the Red Cross launched in 2014 to reduce fire deaths and injuries. So far, it has reached more than 1.7 million people and saved more than 550 lives nationwide. Since 2014, the Red Cross and local partners in Northeast Ohio have:

Installed more than 42,800 free smoke alarms

Made more than 11,200 households safer

Reached more than 15,300 children through youth preparedness programs

This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from local partners, including: Ohio Health, Lorain County Community Foundation, United Fund of Norwalk, Loyal Order of Moose, JHI Group, Insurance Services, and FlavorSeal.

To learn more about the home fire preparedness campaign and to request a free smoke alarm installation, please visit SoundTheAlarm.org/NEO.