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SMITHFIELD — The American Red Cross of Maine and the Smithfield Fire Department and Fire Auxiliary are teaming up to install free smoke alarms in homes and give information about about fire safety Saturday, Aug. 18.
Smithfield residents can make appointments for free smoke alarm installation and home fire safety visits by contacting Red Cross Disaster Program Manager Eric Lynes at eric.lynes@redcross.org or at 207-795-4004 x 303.
The partners will follow up with the installation.
In addition to providing free smoke alarms, the teams will check batteries in existing alarms, replacing them as needed, help residents create escape plans and provide other preparedness tips.
“Home fires pose a real threat to our communities, killing seven people in the United States every day. That’s more deaths that those cause by all other natural disaster combined,” Lynes said. “Working smoke alarms reduce the risk by half and having an escape plan further improves the odds of survival.”
Three out of five home fire deaths take place in homes where the smoke alarms weren’t working or in homes that didn’t have any smoke alarms at all, according to statistics.
To prevent these tragedies, the Red Cross launched its Home Fire Campaign in 2014 to reduce home fire deaths and injuries. At least 453 lives — including those of eight Mainers — have been saved because of these efforts.
In Maine, the Red Cross and its partners have installed more than 11,093 free smoke alarms, created more than 2,872 home fire escape plans and made more than 3,384 household safer.
For more information, visit SoundTheAlarm.org/Maine.
