Volunteers and members of the American Red Cross Pacific Coast Chapter and Lompoc City Fire Department will work together to install free smoke alarms for local families vulnerable to home fires during a Sound the Alarm event in Lompoc, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 7.
The effort is part of a national Red Cross initiative in May to install 50,000 free smoke alarms with partners in more than 50 at-risk communities across the country.
“Sound the Alarm is a meaningful way to be a part of a larger movement while directly helping local families,” said Ethan Walker, Red Cross Central California Regional Prevention and Preparedness manager. “In just one day, you could help save a neighbor’s life by installing smoke alarms, which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.”
Register at SoundTheAlarm.org/CentralCalifornia to install free smoke alarms and share fire safety information with residents during the Sound the Alarm event in Lompoc. Training will be provided at Lompoc High School before volunteer teams, with members of the Red Cross, Lompoc City Fire Department, Foursquare Church, and UCSB students visit area homes.
No experience is needed, and free lunch, snacks and t-shirts are provided.
Because of generous donations, all services are free and available for people in need. Those who can’t join the event can help by donating to the Red Cross at SoundTheAlarm.org to help people prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires, which account for most of the U.S. disasters the Red Cross responds to every eight minutes.
Residents needing assistance can visit EndHomeFires.org to schedule an appointment for a free smoke alarm installation throughout the year. During the 20-minute home visits, Red Cross volunteers will also share information on the causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts, and how to create an escape plan.
The Sound the Alarm event is a critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save some 1,275 lives since starting in October 2014. As part of the campaign on the Pacific Coast, the Red Cross and local partners have installed more than 8,352 free smoke alarms and made more than 3,646 households safer.
This work is made possible thanks to financial donations from regional partners Bank of the Sierra, Bitwise, Coarsegold Market, North Fork Supermarket, PennyMac, and The Wonderful Company.
For more about the American Red Cross, visit redcross.org/centralcalifornia or CruzRojaAmericana.org.