By Andy Dahn
BLOOMINGTON – Seven Americans die in home fires every day, just one reason the American Red Cross has launched the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign.
In partnership with both the Bloomington and Normal Fire Departments and other community groups, Regional Communications Director for the Red Cross Trish Burnett explained what the Red Cross has planned for the campaign.
“We are installing free smoke alarms and working with families to learn how to make a fire escape plan,” Burnett said. “We’re also helping them with how to practice those plans. If the smoke alarm goes off, you also have to know what to do at that point. We want to get those detectors installed so people have a chance to get out safely.”
Burnett said one way to prepare your children for a fire emergency is turning off your smoke detector from time to time.
“It’s a startling thing to them, but it could save their lives,” said Burnett. “It’s really a good thing to do. It helps them understand because some may freeze or hide, so you want them to just have it in their head of what to do automatically.”
Burnett said the nationwide initiative aims to reduce the number of deaths and injuries from home fires by 25-percent by the end of 2019.
Smoke detectors will be installed in the Bloomington-Normal area on Saturday, April 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More information and safety tips can be found at redcross.org/csil-homefire.
Andy Dahn can be reached at andy.dahn@cumulus.com.
