Local volunteers and partners will visit homes throughout the South Florida Region as part of Sound the Alarm events in 100 cities

From April 27 through May 12, American Red Cross volunteers and partners will visit local homes to help install 100,000 free smoke alarms during a national effort to the Sound the Alarm against home fires.

The home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events 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.

To learn more and find events near you, visit SoundTheAlarm.org/SFL.

“Each day, Red Cross volunteers care for neighbors devastated by home fires, and we want to prevent needless tragedies from these disasters,” said Joanne Nowlin, chief executive officer of the South Florida Region. “You can help #EndHomeFires by volunteering and raising donations for lifesaving services.”

HOW VOLUNTEERS WILL HELP During Sound the Alarm events, Red Cross volunteers, community leaders and corporate 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/SFL for more details.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR EVENTS People interested in helping at events can register now at SoundTheAlarm.org/SFL orActivaTuAlarma.org 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 500 lives nationwide. In the South Florida Region, Red Cross and local partners have:

• Installed more than 24,000 free smoke alarms
• Helped families make more than 11,000 fire escape plans
• Reached more than 17,000 children through youth preparedness programs

This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners: Motorola Solutions, Hard Rock Heals Foundation, Florida Power & Light and The Helmerich Trust.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent 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/southflorida or visit us on Facebook and Twitter at @SFLRedCross.