Category Archives: Smoke Alarms

Red Cross, Avon Lake mayor team up to send smoke alarms to West Virginia

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By Todd James, American Red Cross

In my nearly 20 years with the American Red Cross, I have seen many times how our chapters across the country work together to deliver help where it’s needed. I’ve worked side by side with disaster responders from many cities, states, and even other countries. But it’s not only in disaster response that the Red Cross uses our national network of chapters to provide help. I recently had the opportunity to be a part of helping homes in West Virginia receive free smoke alarms as part of our Home Fire Campaign.  

It all started with a conversation between Joe Matuscak, a member of the North Central Ohio Chapter Board of Directors and Mark Spaetzel, the mayor of Avon Lake in Lorain County. Mayor Spaetzel asked Joe about the Home Fire Campaign, specifically how we provide free smoke alarms and preparedness education for families.  

Charleston, West Virginia high school students repairing homes

A couple of weeks after that initial conversation, the mayor was in Charleston, West Virginia as part of a mission project with the United Church of Christ. He was one of 31 adults that accompanied 85 high school students to Charleston to assist the Appalachian Service Project in providing home repairs and help to low-income families in the area.  

As a construction manager for the project, Mark oversaw nine sites that teams were working on. He noticed that many of the homes did not have working smoke alarms and knew that, for many of these families, the cost of purchasing new alarms was not a cost they could afford. Recalling their recent conversation, Mayor Spaetzel called Joe Matuscak and asked him if there was anything the Red Cross could do to help.  

Joe immediately called me and explained the situation. I told him we would do everything we could to make sure those homes would receive smoke alarms and the safety they provide. I’ve worked on disasters with several members of the Central Appalachian Region team in West Virginia, so I reached out to one of my contacts who quickly put me in touch with Angela Akers, the Community Disaster Program Manager for the Charleston area. I called Angela and explained the situation and within a couple of hours, she had spoken to the mayor, arranged to sign his team up as a Home Fire Campaign partner and provided the smoke alarms and training the team needed to install the alarms and educate families on being prepared for home fires.  

Mayor Spaetzel said he wasn’t sure at first if making the call to Joe would help. “You think about big organizations and the bureaucracy involved and you don’t know if it’s going to work,” he said. “But this was seamless, and it was so easy. The training was quick and clear, and the Red Cross team made it easy and simple to help these families. I know the families appreciated it, because they didn’t currently have working smoke alarms and many of them had never had them.” 

Mayor Spaetzel said that in his position, fire safety and prevention are always on his mind and he’s looking forward to working with the North Central Ohio Chapter to make sure families in Avon Lake know about the Home Fire Campaign and have access to the program.  

Being a part of the Red Cross family means having family members across the country who are ready to help whenever it’s needed, wherever the call comes from. For more information about the Home Fire Campaign, visit redcross.org/NOH.  

Red Crossers: Humanitarians every day and everywhere

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Recognizing Red Cross heroes on World Humanitarian Day

By EILENE E. GUY, American Red Cross volunteer

What is a humanitarian?

According to the dictionary, a humanitarian is someone “involved with improving people’s lives and reducing suffering.”

So, on this World Humanitarian Day, I’m lifting up the American Red Cross for being one of the foremost humanitarian organizations in the world. And saluting its roughly 285,000 volunteers and paid staff for being humanitarians of the first order.

The Red Cross mission statement is to “prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.”

Damage done by recent tornadoes in Greater Cleveland and Red Cross responders

Maybe you recognize the iconic red vests on responders at natural disasters – everything from biggies like hurricanes and wildfires, to smaller, localized disasters like the tornadoes, power outages and flooding that hit the Cleveland area this month. Nearly 200 individuals received financial assistance to cover emergency needs in the aftermath of those storms. Some of the Red Crossers were without power in their own homes, but they answered the call to “reduce suffering. ”Or how about manmade disasters, such as bridge collapses, mass casualty events and plane crashes? (Remember the Red Crossers in the movie “Sully,” with blankets and hot drinks for passengers from the airliner that landed on the Hudson River? Those weren’t actors!)

For more than 80 years, the Red Cross has been collecting blood to “reduce suffering.” It began during World War II, first for English war victims and then for our military on the battlefields of Europe, Africa and the Pacific. To this day, paid Red Cross staff (such as phlebotomists and quality assurance lab techs) as well as volunteer donor ambassadors and transportation specialists work to ensure about 40% of the nation’s blood supply for trauma victims, surgery patients and folks who need treatment for cancer, sickle cell disease and other conditions.

Did I mention “improving people’s lives?” The Red Cross trains lifeguards and babysitters; teaches first aid skills and how to save lives with CPR and an AED; and prepares children and their families to cope with sudden emergencies. It’s installed more than 2.5 million free smoke alarms to make households safer from the most common cause of disasters in our country: home fires.

The Red Cross commitment to the American armed forces goes back to our founder, Clara Barton, who earned the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield” for her compassionate service during the American Civil War as well as the Franco-Prussian War in Europe and in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Every day, the Red Cross provides some 1,400 emergency communications and critical community services to members of the military, veterans and their families at home and abroad.

Speaking of abroad, the American Red Cross is a partner with national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in 191 countries, where we share expertise and guidance in disaster and crisis response and recovery; disease prevention and control; and environmental resilience. Our Red Cross is active in the global Restoring Family Links program that helps people separated by conflict or disaster reconnect with their loved ones. (I know: We helped a teenage Haitian adoptee in Berlin Heights find his half-sister who had been adopted in France. Small world!)

Today, every Red Crosser can be proud to call herself/himself a “world humanitarian.” If you’d like to explore volunteer opportunities on this team, please visit NEOvolunteer@redcross.org or call 216-431-3328.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Number of lives saved tops 2,000

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Through the work of our dedicated American Red Cross volunteers and partners, we have now saved more than 2,000 lives through our Home Fire Campaign. More than one-third of those are children.

Home fires are this country’s deadliest and most frequent type of disaster. Seven people in the U.S. lose their lives to a fire in their home every day.

Because of these tragic statistics, the Red Cross launched its Home Fire Campaign to reduce home fire- related deaths and injuries. Since its start in 2014, the campaign is credited with helping save 2,002 lives as of the end of November, 2023.

As part of the Home Fire Campaign, the Red Cross works with local partners to install free smoke alarms and share fire safety information with families. Through the support of our community partners and dedicated volunteers, the campaign has installed 2.7 million smoke alarms and helped to make 1.1 million homes safer.

Long before the launch of the national home fire campaign, the Northern Ohio Region was installing smoke alarms in homes locally. The effort began in the city of Cleveland in 1992, when businessperson and philanthropist Sam Miller joined with other civic leaders, the Cleveland Fire Department, and the Red Cross to reduce fire fatalities through installing smoke alarms and teaching fire safety.

More than 225,000 smoke alarms have been installed by the Red Cross and its partners in Northern Ohio, and 21 of the 2,002 lives that have been saved were in this region.

If you need smoke alarms in your home, visit our regional Home Fire Campaign page.

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

7 Tips To Keep Your Holiday Season Safe, Merry and Bright

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By Sam Pudelski, Red Cross volunteer

The holiday season is upon us and for some, decorations are already trimming their homes. While December is known as the most wonderful time of the year, it’s also the peak time for home fires. 

The American Red Cross has put together some simple safety tips to help protect your home and family.

  • Opt for battery-operated candles. If you do use candles, never leave burning candles unattended and keep them away from anything that can burn. Make sure to keep candles out of reach of children and pets.
  • Inspect all holiday light cords to make sure they aren’t broken or frayed. Avoid stringing too many strands of lights together. You should not have more than three light strings per extension cord.
  • Make sure all outdoor decorations are made for outdoor use. Fasten lights securely to your home, trees and bushes. If you’re using any metal fasteners, like hooks or nails, make sure they are insulated to help prevent electrocution or fire hazard.
  • If you have an artificial tree or garland, check for a fire-resistant label. Keep them away from fireplaces, radiators and other sources of heat. Never use electric lights on metallic trees.
  • If you plan to get a live tree, test its needles to make sure it is fresh. Bend the needles on the tree up and down to make sure no needles fall off. Make sure to water the tree regularly to prevent it from drying out.
  • Don’t hang stockings or decorations on the mantel if you plan to light the fireplace.
  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside each sleeping area. Test your alarms once a month and replace the batteries at least once per year. Additionally, you should practice your two-minute fire safety plan with everyone in your household.

If you cannot afford smoke alarms or aren’t physically able to install one, the Red Cross may be able to help. You can request a smoke alarm from the Northern Ohio Region of the Red Cross here.

Sound the Alarm campaign installs more than 1,500 free smoke alarms in Northern Ohio

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When people think of the American Red Cross responding to disasters, they often imagine the aftermath of a massive hurricane or deadly tornado. Trees uprooted and tossed aside, homes with missing roofs or destroyed by floodwaters. But it’s not the large-scale disasters that keep Red Cross volunteers busy day in and day out. Home fires are the most frequent disaster in the country, claiming seven lives every day in the U.S. In Northern Ohio, the Red Cross responds to more than three home fires, on average, every 24 hours.

As part of the national Sound the Alarm campaign, Red Cross staff, volunteers and community partners set aside specific weeks throughout the year to focus on educating residents about home fire safety and installing free smoke alarms where they are needed. From April 22 to May 12 staff and volunteers in northern Ohio, in partnership with local fire departments, held Sound the Alarm events in 11 communities across the region. They included:

  • Sandusky
  • Uhrichsville
  • Cleveland
  • Medina
  • Hubbard
  • Warrensville
  • Toledo
  • Findlay
  • Henry County
  • Newcomerstown
  • Willoughby Hills

During these events, volunteers met with local families to install free smoke alarms, helped them create a two-minute fire escape plan and shared safety information on home fires and other local disaster risks. In Northern Ohio, more than 600 homes were made safer, with over 1,500 smoke alarms installed.

For those who do have smoke alarms, the Red Cross recommends testing smoke alarms each month and practicing your escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes. It’s also important to teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do in an emergency.

While certain weeks of the year are designated as Sound the Alarm events, the Red Cross is working every day to help prepare communities for disasters like home fires.  If you or someone you know needs smoke alarms, visit the Sound the Alarm page to find out how to request an appointment with one of our teams. You can partner with the Red Cross and donate to this lifesaving work. Without the financial support of generous donors, the Sound the Alarm campaign would not be possible.

Check out more photos from our Sound the Alarm events on Flickr. Thank you to everyone who joined us this year and we look forward to seeing you all again soon at a Sound the Alarm event near you!

Red Cross Home Fire Campaign reaches goal of installing 2.5 million free smoke alarms nationwide

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Since October 2014, the campaign has saved at least 17 lives in Northern Ohio

The American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign with the support of community partners has achieved its goal of installing 2.5 million free smoke alarms and making 1 million households safer across the country.

Since launching in October 2014, the campaign has saved at least 1,583 lives nationwide — including 17 people in Northern Ohio — from the threat of home fires, which claim seven lives every day in the U.S. Most often, these tragedies occur in homes without working smoke alarms.

“We are proud of our incredible work with community partners to help save lives by providing free smoke alarms in Northern Ohio as part of the national Home Fire Campaign,” said John Gareis, Regional Preparedness Manager. “And we take special pride in knowing that the smoke alarm program we started more than 30 years ago in Cleveland served as a model for the current Red Cross Home Fire Campaign.” Watch a video of the history of the Home Fire Campaign in Cleveland. 

In Northern Ohio since the start of the Home Fire Campaign in 2014, Red Cross volunteers and partners have:
 Installed more than 100,000 free smoke alarms
 Made 37,400 households safer
 Educated more than 31,000 children through youth preparedness programs

FREE HOME FIRE SERVICES TO CONTINUE Because home fires remain a daily threat and the campaign has made a lifesaving difference, the Red Cross will be continuing the program with community partners as part of its standard services, including Sound the Alarm events in communities throughout the region this spring to install free smoke alarms.

Visit soundthealarm.org/noh for a home fire safety visit if you need assistance, or to volunteer. No prior experience is needed. Training will be provided before volunteer teams visit area homes to install smoke alarms and share fire safety information. During the Sound the Alarm appointments, volunteers will install free smoke alarms, and will share information on the causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan.

In addition, the campaign’s other services will continue, such as teaching children about the threat of home fires and what to do through youth preparedness programs, installing accessible fire safety equipment like bedshaker alarms and strobe light smoke alarms for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing, and providing home fire
safety resources in American Sign Language.

Home fires account for most of the more than 60,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to annually in the Northern Ohio Region and across the country. So far in 2023, Red Cross volunteers have helped nearly 400 people affected by nearly 200 home fires in the Northern Ohio Region by providing emergency lodging, financial
assistance for urgent needs like food and clothing, and one-on-one recovery support for navigating next steps and connecting with community resources.

ONE HOME FIRE SURVIVOR’S STORY: Akron grandfather Shawn Spaulding had just returned home after a long day at work when fire broke out in his home. Read about his escape here.

Read more stories and see the campaign’s national impact at redcross.org/HomeFireStories.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED Help save lives through the campaign by becoming a volunteer or making a financial donation to prepare, respond and help families recover from home fires. Learn more at redcross.org/noh.

You can also help your family by testing your smoke alarms monthly and practicing your two-minute home fire escape plan. Additional safety tips are available at redcross.org/fire and on the free Red Cross Emergency app (search “American Red Cross” in mobile app stores).

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

Day of service in Newcomerstown

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Neighborhood where family perished in home fire made safer

Dozens of residents in Newcomerstown, Ohio are safer in their homes, after Red Cross and community volunteers banded together on Saturday to install free smoke alarms and share home fire safety information.

The effort targeted the neighborhood where six people died – four children and their parents – in a fire on the day after Christmas. Investigators found no evidence of smoke alarms in the home.

Newcomerstown Mayor Patrick Cadle and five village council members gathered with about two dozen Red Cross volunteers, some coming from as far away as Cleveland, for a brief training session prior to splitting into teams of three or four and going door to door on several streets in the neighborhood.

Newcomerstown Mayor Patrick Cadle

“I was unaware that the Red Cross did this,” said Mayor Cadle, referring to the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which includes making homes safer with the installation of free smoke alarms.

“If I had known they didn’t have smoke alarms I would have contacted you for them,” said Kitty Clay, who lives on Spaulding Avenue, next door to the home that burned. She said she and other neighbors were outside for several hours, watching firefighters battle the blaze. “There was nothing we could do,” she said.

Village Councilmember Michael Wise shares home fire safety information with Spaulding Avenue resident Kitty Clay

Village Council member Michael Wise was on the team that inspected Kitty’s home on Saturday. He made sure there was a working smoke alarm on every level of the home. It was one of 52 homes made safer that day, as 136 smoke alarms were installed.

“We’re not stopping there,” said Tim O’Toole, Regional Disaster Officer for the Red Cross of Northern Ohio. “We plan to come back in April, when we include Newcomerstown as part of our Sound the Alarm event,” he said. Sound the Alarm is an annual campaign that targets neighborhoods at high risk for home fires nationwide for home fire safety visits and smoke alarm installations.

“This is just the beginning,” said Elizabeth Cante, Disaster Program Specialist with the Heartland, Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter. “We will also be helping students at the elementary school whose classmates lost their friends with preparedness education. Our job has only just begun.”

See more photos from the day of service in Newcomerstown here.

Visit soundthealarm.org/noh for more information on how to make your home safer, and to request free smoke alarms.

Don’t forget to TURN and TEST this weekend

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This Sunday marks the end of Daylight Saving Time for 2021, meaning we will “fall back” one hour. As you turn back your clocks this weekend, the American Red Cross asks everyone to also test their smoke alarms.

Home fires are the nation’s most frequent disaster and tragically take seven lives every day in this country. Individuals may have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it’s too late. An early warning from a working smoke alarm, plus a fire escape plan that has been practiced regularly, can save lives.

“It’s critical to take action now to be as safe as possible as the threat of home fires increases with the holidays and cooler weather,” said Mike Parks, Regional CEO, American Red Cross of Northern Ohio. “In fiscal year 2021, Red Cross volunteers in our region responded to more than 1,100 home fires. The good news is that you can take a few simple steps this weekend to help protect your loved ones.”

Follow these simple tests to get your home ready:

  1. Test all existing smoke alarms, and make a plan to check them monthly.
  2. Check to make sure you have smoke alarms installed on every level of your home, including inside and outside of bedrooms and sleeping areas.
  3. Replace any smoke alarms that are 10 years old or older. Components such as sensors can become less sensitive over time. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer instructions.
  4. Practice your two-minute home fire escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes. Include at least two ways to get out of every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet.

Red Cross Home Fire Campaign

Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign with community partners has saved at least 1,048 lives by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing more than 2.2 million free smoke alarms in high-risk homes across the country. 

For more information, including safety tips and free resources, visit redcross.org/homefires or download the free Red Cross Emergency app by searching for ‘American Red Cross’ in app stores.

No better time to make homes safer

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By Jim McIntyre, American Red Cross

James Mays lives alone in a roomy house in Cleveland, and is extra cautious about preventing a home fire.  “I’m pretty spooked out about it,” he said on the morning before Halloween, as American Red Cross volunteers Brittany Tucker and Walter Reddick installed new smoke alarms in his home.

Red Cross volunteers Walter Reddick and Brittany Tucker install a smoke alarm

James said he’s experienced two fires in his life.  “You have to really be watchful,” he said.

James’ home was one of 22 made safer on October 30, 2021, as six Red Cross volunteers, three staff members and two Cleveland firefighters visited homes in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood. All were observing safety measures to protect themselves, each other and the residents they visited by wearing face coverings and being socially distanced when possible.

Red Cross volunteer Brittany Tucker and Cleveland resident James Mays

“I saw it on TV,” said Carolyn Lee, referring to a message urging people to test their alarms when they turn back their clocks to end daylight saving time on November 7.  It prompted Carolyn, who has nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren to call the Cleveland Division of Fire, which works closely with the Red Cross to install alarms and share home fire safety information with residents who make an appointment.

Carolyn’s son Treyfus Lee was visiting when the Red Cross arrived.  The U.S. Army veteran grew up in the house and said the alarms hadn’t been changed in “quite a while.”  He was told smoke alarm sensors have a 10-year life span, and that all alarms should be tested monthly.

Treyfus Lee, left and his mother Carolyn Lee

It was a timely message, delivered a week before the time change, and a reminder to all residents: when you turn back your clocks, test your smoke alarms.

To make an appointment for a home fire safety visit and to have free smoke alarms installed in your home, visit our website.  Residents of Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula Counties can also call 216-361-5535.  Residents of Summit, Mahoning, Trumbull, Medina, Portage and Columbiana counties can call 330-535-2030.  In Stark, Wayne, Ashland, Carroll, Holmes, Harrison and Tuscarawas Counties, residents can call 330-453-0146. In Erie, Hancock, Huron, Lorain, Putnam, Seneca, and Wyandot Counties, residents can call 419-422-9322. In Lucas, Fulton, Henry, Ottawa, Sandusky, Wood, and Monroe County, Michigan, residents can call 419-329-2900.

Photos by Dave Eadelis, American Red Cross volunteer. For more photos, visit our Flickr album.

Red Cross, HOLA Ohio, and Painesville Fire Department partner for fire safety 

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October 2021 Home Fire Campaign kicks off in Painesville and Perry Twp.

By Tim Poe, American Red Cross volunteer 

A team comprised of Spanish-language interpreters from HOLA Ohio joined members of the Painesville Fire Department and staff and volunteers from the American Red Cross Northern Ohio region  on Saturday, October 9, to provide fire safety education and install 62 smoke alarms in 25 homes in Painesville and Perry, Ohio.  

This is part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, the National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week, and Hispanic Heritage Month. 

The Home Fire Campaign launched nationwide in October 2014 and has roots in Northern Ohio. In 1992, businessperson/philanthropist Sam Miller and other civic leaders partnered with the Red Cross and Cleveland Fire Department to find ways to reduce fire fatalities. 

The efforts have been effective. In the past seven years, the campaign has saved 1,048 lives, installed more than 2.2 million smoke alarms, made 948,535 homes safer, and reached 1,698,165 youth. Yet the efforts must continue. According to FEMA, Ohio has had 97 fire fatalities reported in the media so far this year, and on average, seven people die and 36 are injured in the US each day as a result of home fires.  

Tom Revolinsky, Disaster Program Manager of the Red Cross’s Northern Ohio Region said, “As part of Hispanic Heritage Month and Fire Prevention Week, the Red Cross, HOLA, and the Painesville Fire Department have five bilingual teams installing smoke alarms in 25 homes throughout the Painesville/ Perry Area. Fire safety education is the most important part of the installation event, as awareness helps prevent fires. Having bilingual volunteers ensure the message is properly communicated is key to making homes safer.”  

Tom added, “Smoke alarms are the second line of defense in a fire when prevention measures fail. Education, smoke alarms, and an escape plan are all components.” 

Veronica Isabel Dahlberg, Executive Director, HOLA Ohio, said, “We are so grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Painesville Fire Department, the Red Cross, and the volunteers for such an important cause that not only brings our community together, but will also save lives.” 

Chief Thomas C. Hummel Jr. said, “The Painesville City Fire Department is very happy that we are able to partner with the Red Cross and HOLA to provide smoke detectors in our community. We not only installed smoke detectors, we provided valuable fire safety education and offered answers to questions, thanks in a large part to our HOLA volunteers, who assisted with translation. We look forward to continuing this partnership. Any resident who needs a smoke detector installed can contact our office at 440-392-5848 or 5849 during normal business hours to schedule an installation time with our fire department.” 

Participants follow COVID-19 safety protocols. Smoke alarm installations are by appointment and participating Red Cross personnel must be vaccinated, wear masks, practice social distancing, and limit time in homes, among other precautions. Partner organization participants must also adhere to Red Cross guidelines. 

For more information on the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, fire safety tips, or to request a smoke alarm, please visit this site. A Spanish-language version is available here. 

Visit our photo album for more pictures from the smoke alarm installation event.