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(Des Moines, IA) -- American Red Cross volunteers are planning to install new smoke detectors in homes in a Des Moines neighborhood later this month. Spokesperson Emily Holley says volunteers will focus on the Indianola Hills neighborhood on the city's southeast side. Volunteers will be in the area between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. -starting at McKinely Elementary school.
The effort is part of the Red Cross Sound the Alarm program.
Volunteers will canvass the Indianola Hills neighborhood in Des Moines to install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms and help families create escape plans.
“Our goal is to save lives,” said Leslie Schaffer, Executive Director of the Red Cross of Central Iowa. “We continue to see an increase in home fires. That’s why we want to make sure everyone has working smoke alarms, which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.”
Volunteers will also share information on the causes of home fires and how to prevent them, as well as creating an escape plan.
“Most people don’t realize they only have two minutes to escape a home fire — and that smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 years,” Schaffer said. “Taking action with this knowledge can be the difference between survival and tragedy.”
The Red Cross is proud to partner with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Des Moines Fire Department on this event. This work is made possible thanks in large part to generous financial donations from area partners Transamerica, Renewable Energy Group, EMC Insurance, Mutual of Omaha and Famers Mutual.
Sound the Alarm events are a critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save more than 1,250 lives since launching in October 2014.