The American Red Cross of Georgia is Sounding the Alarm on fire safety!

As part of the Red Cross Home Fire “sound the Alarm” Campaign, on Saturday, April 22, the Red Cross and the Wrightsville EMA and Fire Department partnered together and installed over 200 free smoke alarms and made almost 100 homes safer. The American Red Cross is grateful to Wrightsville EMA Director Shawn Wombles and Mayor Janibeth Outlaw for their support and leadership for this event. 

Since the start of the Home Fire Campaign in 2014, the Red Cross has installed 2.5 million free smoke alarms nationwide and made 1 million households safer across the country. 

The Red Cross is working in partnership with volunteers and fire departments across the state to ensure Georgia residents are ready to respond to a fire if one should happen in their home. Going door-to-door, the goal is to educate residents on what to do if there is a fire, install smoke alarms as needed, ensure all warning systems are working, and help residents develop an effective plan in case of an emergency. 

This year’s Sound the Alarm campaign in Georgia is taking place from April 15 through May 6 as part of a national Red Cross initiative to install 50,000 free smoke alarms over the course of the year with partners in more than 50 high-risk communities across the country.

Home fires account for the majority of the more than 60,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to annually. Last year, the American Red Cross of Georgia responded to 2,895 single and multi-family home fires across the state. Additionally, 5,390 families were assisted because of those disasters.

 Every day, seven people die because of home fires and often these tragedies occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Data has shown that one of the most effective ways to combat these statistics is with a working smoke alarm; in fact, smoke alarms can cut the risk of death by half. Since launching in October 2014, the Home Fire Campaign has saved at least 1,664 lives, including 238 right here in Georgia. 

Upcoming Georgia Sound the Alarm installation and fire safety education opportunities April 29-May 6:

Grady County

4/29/2023: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.., Cairo

Chatham County

4/29/2023: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Savannah

Floyd County

4/29/2023: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Rome

Gwinnett County

4/29/2023: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Lawrenceville

Carroll County

4/29/2023: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Carrollton

Clarke County

5/6/2023: 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Athens

Clayton County

5/6/2023: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Jonesboro

Visit www.soundthealarm.org for more information