Red Cross, Fire Department Install Smoke Alarms for Evanston Residents

EVANSTON, IL - The American Red Cross and Evanston Fire Department teamed to install more than three dozen free smoke alarms on Saturday, and also educated the families who received the smoke alarms about fire safety.

“As the weather turns colder, our number of responses increases as some people may seek alternative sources to heat their homes, which aren’t always safe,” CelenaRoldán, CEO of the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois said in a news release. “That’s why we made a big push over the weekend with the Evanston Fire Department to make sure families are prepared and know what to do in case of emergency to keep loved ones safe.”

The installation on Saturday in several Evanston neighborhoods is part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, a multi-year, nationwide campaign that kicked off in October 2014 with a goal to reduce the number of home fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent during the five years of the campaign.

More than 6,000 total smoke alarms are expected to be installed as part of the effort in the coming months.

Steps to take to help your family survive a fire via the American Red Cross:

· Create a home fire escape plan that includes at least two ways to escape each room and a meeting spot to reunite after escaping.
· Practice the plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes.
· If someone doesn’t have smoke alarms, install them. At a minimum, put one on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Local building codes vary and there may be additional requirements where someone lives.
· If someone does have alarms, test them today. If they don’t work, replace them. If the alarm is more than 10 years old, replace it.

photo via the American Red Cross