If you need a smoke detector in your home, now may be a good time to sound the alarm.
The American Red Cross launched a two-week campaign Saturday to deliver and install 100,000 smoke alarms in 100 cities in all 50 states, organizers said.
The Sound the Alarm events target areas with high risk of home fires.
Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Martin counties are on the list.
Home fires kill more people on average every year in the United States than all other natural disasters combined, organizers said. Most of those deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms.
“Each day, Red Cross volunteers care for neighbors devastated by home fires, and we want to prevent needless tragedies from these disasters,” said Red Cross South Florida Region CEO Joanne Nowlin.
During the campaign, which runs through May 12, Red Cross volunteers, community leaders and corporate partners will go door-to-door to install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms and help families create fire escape plans.
Sound the Alarm events are part of the Home Fire Campaign, launched in 2014 by the Red Cross. So far, it has reached more than 1.7 million people and saved more than 500 lives nationwide, officials said.
In South Florida, volunteers have installed more than 24,000 free smoke alarms, helped families develop more than 11,000 escape plans, and reached more than 17,000 children through youth preparedness programs, according to the Red Cross.
For more information on how to apply for free smoke alarms in your area or to volunteer, go online to: SoundTheAlarm.org/SFL.
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