Free Smoke Alarm Installation

Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross – Yuma Office along with Yuma Rural Metro Fire will be installing free smoke alarms this Friday, November 3 from 10am-Noon at the Morning Star RV Park, 7829 W Alicia Ave.  The need for smoke alarms and safety training was noted after a home fire recently occurred in the complex.

Home fires claim seven lives every day but having working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death by half. The American Red Cross ongoing Sound the Alarm. Save a Life program helps reduce home fire deaths and injuries.  The Red Cross responds to thousands of home fires every year and this fiscal year, the national goal is to install 50,000 alarms in high-risk neighborhoods.

Yuma & La Paz County Red Cross Disaster Program Specialist Jillian Attaway says, “Our free Smoke alarms are especially essential for vulnerable individuals and families because they offer an effective means of preventing fire-related tragedies, safeguarding lives, and protecting lives. The Sound The Alarm. Save a Life program provides as many free smoke alarms as are needed in each residence along with family fire safety information, including preparing individual escape plans and local emergency information.”

The Red Cross offers these fire safety tips for every home:

❏Make sure you have working smoke alarms. Different types of smoke alarms, ionization and photoelectric, detect fire in different ways. Experts recommend having both types in your home.

❏Change smoke alarm batteries every year unless it has a long-life battery.

❏Replace smoke alarms every ten years.

❏A combination of working smoke alarms and fire sprinklers decreases the risk of dying in a home fire.

• At least twice a year, review your home fire escape plan and practice your 2-minute drill with all of your family members. Make sure everyone can escape in 2 minutes or less.