The American Red Cross Northern New England Region

By Jennifer Costa, regional communications director

David Ullman, Red Cross writer

For Mark Ryder of Milford, Maine, home fire safety is a prominent aspect of his life. Living in rural Maine, Ryder is aware that, when there are limited local resources, the homeowner must take advantage of every fire safety and fire prevention program offered in his community. When he learned that the American Red Cross had scheduled a community smoke alarm installation event for northern and eastern Maine in late January, he immediately signed up.

As part of this Home Fire Campaign, the Red Cross hosts Sound the Alarm events, daylong installation events in at-risk communities where teams of Red Cross volunteers install free smoke alarms and provide critical home fire safety education to help prevent future tragedies.   

By Peter de Paolo, Red Cross writer

By Jennifer Costa, regional communications director

It was an ordinary autumn night for the Coughlin Family.

“I was in the kitchen cooking dinner,” Beth Coughlin remembered. “Chicken on the stovetop.”

By Susan Dudley Gold, Maine blood recipient

Five months ago, after falling and breaking my hip, after successful hip replacement surgery, after three weeks of walking and exercising, I began to feel like my normal self again.