By Eric Alves, Regional Communications Specialist, American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio

March 2, 2020-  To kickoff March is Red Cross Month, the American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio responded to 11 separate local disasters, including several home fires across the region.

As the calendar changed from February to March, Disaster Action Team members assisted 45 individuals in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Summit, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties. The Red Cross also provided more than $9,000 in immediate financial assistance.

In 2014, the Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign, a nationwide initiative to reduce the number of fire-related deaths by 25 percent. As of the current date, 715 lives have been saved across the country through the Home Fire Campaign, including 15 in Northeast Ohio.

As part of the Home Fire Campaign, the Red Cross will be installing smoke alarms in communities across the country from April 18 to May 3 during an initiative called Sound the Alarm, Save a Life. In just six years, our home visits have accomplished so much, including the installation of more than 2 million smoke alarms.

Watch below to hear Doreen and Lial McCullough story to learn how a smoked alarm saved their lives during a home fire:

For more information on Sound the Alarm and to sign up to volunteer at a smoke alarm installation event near you, visit SoundTheAlarm.org.