American Red Cross and Kidde Join Forces to Help Protect People from Home Fires

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Oct 17, 2016, 05:08 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross will receive a gift of more than 26,000 smoke alarms with sealed 10-year lithium batteries from Kidde valued at $500,000 to support the organization's Home Fire Campaign. The multi-year campaign aims to reduce home fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent.

Through the program, the Red Cross and its partners recruit, train and dispatch volunteers to install free smoke alarms and deliver fire safety information in neighborhoods with a higher risk of fires. Kidde has been the primary smoke alarm vendor for the Red Cross since the launch of the Home Fire Campaign in October 2014.

"Installing smoke alarms cuts the risk of someone dying from a home fire in half, so it's important for us to ensure families are safe from one of the nation's most preventable disasters—home fires," said Kevin Kelley, senior director, Community Preparedness Programs at the American Red Cross. "We're thankful for companies like Kidde as we work together to help protect people and their property from fires."

Since the launch of the campaign, the Red Cross and its partners have helped to save at least 111 lives and installed more than half a million smoke alarms in 7,000 cities and towns nationwide. The Red Cross also teaches people what they can do now to be prepared should a fire break out in their home.

"Kidde is proud to work with the American Red Cross to install working smoke alarms and reduce fire-related fatalities across the country," said Chris Rovenstine, vice president of sales and marketing, Kidde. "Community programs like the Home Fire Campaign help to save lives from fire and smoke dangers and that meshes perfectly with Kidde's mission."

SIMPLE STEPS TO SAVE LIVES As part of the Home Fire Campaign, the Red Cross is calling on everyone to take two simple steps that can save lives: practice fire drills at home and check their existing smoke alarms.

There are several things families and individuals can do to increase their chances of surviving a fire:

Create a home fire escape plan that includes at least two ways to escape each room and a meeting spot to reunite after escaping.
Practice the plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes.
If someone doesn't have smoke alarms, install them. At a minimum, put one on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Local building codes vary and there may be additional requirements where someone lives.
If someone does have alarms, test them today. If they don't work, replace them.

RED CROSS APPS People can learn how to help prevent a home fire and what to do if one occurs by downloading the Red Cross Emergency App. Children can have fun and learn how to prevent a home fire and other emergencies in the Monster Guard: Prepare for Emergencies App. The First Aid App provides expert advice including what to do for burns, broken bones and breathing and cardiac emergencies. The apps can be downloaded for free in app stores or at redcross.org/apps.

WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO People can visit redcross.org/homefires to find out more about how to protect themselves and their loved homes from fire, and to learn more about how to become a volunteer. Use #LovedOnesSaved to follow the conversation online during the campaign.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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SOURCE American Red Cross