Letter from Southeast Tennessee Executive Director, Julia Wright - August 2017

The American Red Cross is on a mission to end home fire devastation and save lives, so we are once again installing smoke alarms across the country this year in an effort to reduce the number of home fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent.

This fall, the Red Cross is calling for 35,000 volunteers to join us nationwide. Our goal is set. All we need is the assistance of financial support and volunteers to Sound the Alarm by installing 100,000 free smoke alarms in high-risk communities in more than 100 major cities across the country. Between September 23 and October 15, our series of home fire safety and smoke alarm events will result in the installation of our one-millionth free smoke alarm.

The vast majority of Red Cross responses to the 64,000 disasters each year are home fires. These residential fires kill seven people every day and most of those deaths could have been avoided had smoke alarms been present.

Since 2014, Red Cross volunteers have installed almost 900,000 smoke alarms. The Home Fire Campaign has proven its effective value by saving hundreds of lives across the country. This year, with the help of more volunteers, we expect to see an increase in the number of lives spared.

We are constantly welcoming new volunteers and at this significant time we are looking to bolster recruitment with an invitation to new recruits who are enthusiastic about participating in the effort to save lives. The Southeast Tennessee chapter is encouraging everyone in our area to participate in our September 23rd Sound the Alarm, Save a Life event by registering online to volunteer at www.redcross.org/STAChattanooga