By Samantha Ferrer
Louisiana Red Cross volunteer

The Red Cross responds to more than 1,500 home fires in the state of Louisiana annually, an average of four fires daily. Thus, it is of upmost importance to make homes safer and educate residents about fire safety. To fulfill this necessity, the Red Cross and its partners sponsor and execute Sound the Alarm. Save A Life.

Sound the Alarm is part of a national effort to help save lives with local, “signature” events where volunteers install smoke alarms in homes that lack them, replace old, non-working smoke alarms and test smoke alarms to ensure they work properly. It is also meant to educate residents about fire safety practices.

In January, the Red Cross carried out Sound the Alarm events in various neighborhoods around Louisiana, including Kenner, Duson and Baton Rouge, where volunteer teams installed 552 smoke alarms and made 298 homes safer.

On the cold, rainy morning of Jan. 21, more than 100 Red Cross volunteers and staff gathered in the Gardere community of Baton Rouge to support the mission. Teams installed 288 smoke alarms in the community – the highest number of alarms installed out of the three events held in Louisiana in January – making 148 homes safer.

Many of the homes assisted did not have smoke alarms, which is a significant risk to the lives of the residents - especially children. Smoke alarms alert residents of a house fire in time to evacuate the home, which should be done in no more than two minutes. Given the time sensitivity of evacuation in a home fire, Red Cross volunteers encourage home residents to create a fire escape plan.

In addition, several fire safety tips are offered to the residents, such as:

• Keep an eye on what you’re frying, grilling, or when using an open flame.
• Keep anything that could potentially catch fire at least three feet away from any heat source.
• Keep matches and lighters away from children.
• Ensure smoke alarms are working and replace them every seven to ten years.
• Never smoke in bed or when feeling drowsy. While cigarette-caused fires constitute the minority of house fires, they are the most lethal.

If you or anyone you know needs new smoke alarms, don’t hesitate to contact the American Red Cross of Louisiana at 1-800-REDCROSS, or visit www.soundthealarm.org/louisiana.

Red Cross volunteers have a mission and a purpose to contribute to the safety and welfare of those in their community. First-time volunteer Juliette Camenzuli conveyed how amazing it was to meet so many people who are so passionate about community service and giving back to their community. Their altruistic sense of giving and caring for each other and those they are of service to is a great motivator for newcomers who share similar values.

Their camaraderie plays a key role on their impact on those the Red Cross helps, making everyone feel comfortable, safe and cared for. One of the residents helped during Sound the Alarm in Baton Rouge, Nixon Luna, expressed his gratitude to the volunteers who went to his home to install smoke alarms, stating that he felt “so happy and content to know he will be safer,” and that he was extremely impressed with their professionalism.

If you too would like to bring comfort, care and hope to your community, consider joining the Red Cross at your local chapter. You too can share the gift of giving back to your community and experiencing the satisfaction of making your community a safer place.