This Saturday, April 27, American Red Cross volunteers and partners will be installing free smoke alarms in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood and Freeport. Volunteers will also provide home fire safety education, including helping residents create fire escape plans.
In Chicago, teams will rally at 9:30 a.m. at Columbus Park located at 500 S. Central Ave. There they will gather supplies and after a brief training, volunteers will head out in the Austin community.
In Freeport, volunteers and partners will rally at 9:00 a.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, located at 511 S. Liberty Ave. to receive training and gather supplies before going out to neighborhoods.
The Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois plans to install 2,000 free smoke alarms in our region as part of the 100,000 that Red Cross volunteers are installing nationwide in 100 cities with a high risk of home fires.
Sound the Alarm events will also take place in the locations listed below:
Saturday, May 11
Rockford – Ken Rock Community Center, 3218 11th St.
Bolingbrook – Bolingbrook High School, 365 Raider Way
Saturday, May 18
Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood – Douglas Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr.
Joliet – University of St. Francis (St. Clare Campus), 1550 Plainfield Rd.
Watch this video to see more about “Sound the Alarm.”
Find a link to installation b-roll here.
Residents can schedule a free smoke alarm installation at getasmokealarm.org.
If you like to volunteer and help the Red Cross install free smoke alarms in your community, visit soundthealarm.org/chicago.
The Chicago and Northern Illinois Red Cross is proud to have several corporate organizations supporting the Sound the Alarm program including: Motorola Solutions Foundation, Gallagher, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Grainger, Bank of America, Joan and Paul Rubschlager and USG Corporation.
In addition to these activities, Red Cross volunteers are always at the ready to respond to home fires across the 21-county region. Red Cross disaster workers have responded to 24 fires from Monday, April 15 to today in the region including fires in Calumet Park, Riverdale, Summit, Aurora, Coal City, Carol Stream, including a fire in Rockford that unfortunately resulted in the loss of a life.
The fires in the past week affected 116 people including 78 adults and 38 children.
The Red Cross provided resources to help address the immediate basic needs of those affected such as temporary housing, food, clothing, comfort kits with toiletry items, information about recovery services, and health and mental health services.
Responding volunteers are members of the Red Cross Disaster Action Team, a group of specially trained volunteers who respond to the scene of a disaster when called upon any time of the day or night.
HOW TO HELP: The Red Cross depends on financial donations to provide immediate disaster relief. Help people affected by severe storms, fires and flooding by visiting redcross.org or calling 1- 800-RED CROSS. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters.
DONATE BLOOD: The Red Cross also has a critical need for blood and platelet donations to help meet patient needs. The Red Cross asks eligible individuals to make an appointment today by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS.
The Red Cross responds to 3 to 4 home fires every day in Chicago and northern Illinois. The Red Cross recommends two easy steps to help protect your home and loved ones from a fire: get a smoke alarm and create a fire escape plan. For more Red Cross fire safety and preparedness information visit www.redcross.org/prepare.
About the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois:
The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois serves 9.5 million people in 21 counties including Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit us at redcross.org/il/chicago or visit us on Twitter @ChicagoRedCross.