The Red Cross of Alaska is providing free smoke alarm installation and emergency preparedness planning through the Home Fire Campaign. The program is part of the nationwide Home Fire Campaign which aims to reduce residential fires through prevention and education.
Red Cross Regional Communications Officer Cari Dighton: “Some people don’t know, they don’t have the resources, or they have alarms that maybe they can’t reach because they don’t have the right ladder, or they’re not sure how to test them. So, that’s really what we’re going in for. Aside from installing alarms, in as many homes as need them, we also have the second, perhaps more-important part of that goal, the second-half of that goal: talk with families about home fire safety. Talk about testing your smoke alarms every month, making sure that you have fire escape plans, that you know how to get out of your house in two minutes. So, that plan is really key. Also, making sure that everybody knows two exits in every room, and if there are meeting spots outside away from the danger, that everybody knows where that meeting spot is.”
Red Cross Alaska’s goal is to install at least 75 free smoke alarms in Kenai Peninsula homes, with an overall goal of near-1000 alarms across Southcentral Alaska.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating equipment is a leading cause of fires in U.S. homes. Local fire departments across the country responded to an estimated average of 52,000 fires involving heating equipment each year in 2012 – 2016. These fires resulted in annual losses of 490 civilian deaths, 1,400 civilian injuries, and $1 billion in direct property damage.
Last year, the Red Cross installed 2,170 free smoke alarms in 670 households across the state, according to a news release from Red Cross Alaska. The fire detectors are free of charge and can be requested by filling out a form on the Red Cross of Alaska website or by calling (907) 232-2698 to schedule an appointment.