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American Red Cross to host ‘Sound the Alarm’ event in Hampton Roads

Posted at 12:37 PM, Apr 29, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-29 12:38:46-04

NORFOLK, Va. – The American Red Cross Coastal Chapter will hold a ‘Sound the Alarm’ event which teaches home fire safety and smoke alarm installation. 

The event is on May 4 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., during a two-week national effort to install 100,000 free smoke alarms.

Sound the Alarm is where volunteers will canvass neighborhoods to install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms and help families create home fire escape plans.

The event will be held at these locations:

  • Portsmouth Fire Station 11: 32 Prospect Pkwy, Portsmouth, VA 23702
  • Heritage United Methodist Church: 815 Baker Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
  • Norfolk Fire Station 11: 3127 Verdun Ave, Norfolk, VA 23509 

Home fires kill seven people every day in the U.S., most often in homes without working smoke alarms.

Sound the Alarm events are part of the Home Fire Campaign, which the Red Cross launched in 2014 to reduce fire deaths and injuries. So far, it has reached more than 1.7 million people and saved more than 582 lives nationwide.

Since 2017 in Hampton Roadsthe Coastal Chapter and local partners have installed nearly 1600 free smoke alarms and made nearly 600 households safer.

Home fires also account for the majority of disasters that the Red Cross responds to every eight minutes in the U.S. Visitthis link to learn more.