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

Posted on February 27, 2023 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

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

Posted on January 16, 2023 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

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.

“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.

How to ruin a perfect Thanksgiving dinner!

Posted on November 21, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Doug Bardwell, American Red Cross volunteer

Been there. Done that. And from experience, I can tell you it wasn’t pleasant.

Photo Credit: Doug Bardwell, Red Cross volunteer

Yes, we had an oven fire…

And our bird was toast – literally…

And our kitchen was full of smoke…

And family was arriving.

The smoke alarm was annoyingly loud. Everyone wanted to know the story of how it happened, but secretly, they wanted the turkey, which wasn’t to be that year.

So, what lessons were learned?

To feed a family this size, we needed a big bird, and our mistake was putting a giant bird in too small of a pan. The legs overlapped the sides of the pan, and grease dripped onto the lower burners, which must have started burning almost immediately. When we noticed it, the entire oven was smoke and flame- filled.

To our credit, we had a charged and ready home fire extinguisher outside the kitchen door. That was fortunate, because the flames in the oven precluded reaching in and removing the pan with the turkey until the fire was out.

Also, we had enough side dishes to have a glorious feast still…once the smoke cleared. We averted a tragedy. And, we use larger pans now.

We didn’t adhere to Rule Number One in this Red Cross Thanksgiving cooking tips list – Don’t be like us.

Every eight minutes, donations to the Red Cross help someone affected by a disaster—most often, home fires. You can help save lives by making a financial donation to support our mission, signing up to become a volunteer, or taking steps to protect your family from home fires. Visit redcross.org to learn more.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer

Take a few moments and potentially save the lives of your family

Posted on October 7, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Sunday marks the start of National Fire Prevention Week

By Doug Bardwell, American Red Cross Volunteer

October 9 – 15 is National Fire Prevention Week and is a perfect time to ensure your family’s safety this coming winter. In Northern Ohio, we see a 23% increase in home fires each winter. Unfortunately, during fiscal year 2022, the Northern Ohio Region of the American Red Cross needed to respond to 1,150 home fires.

First, teach your children what a smoke alarm sounds like and what they should do when it goes off. The most chilling story I read recently was about a grade-schooler who was asked what he would do when he heard the sound of a smoke alarm. His answer was authentic but frightening, “Go hide in the attic!”

I’ll be asking my grandchildren that question this week for sure. It shows that we can’t take anything for granted when it comes to children.

After they realize that was the wrong answer, it’s a perfect time to practice the correct response, which the family should do together. Luckily, the Red Cross has created a Two-Minute Drill to follow:

Studies have shown you will probably only have two minutes to escape a fast-burning fire safely. Practice your plan with everyone in your household. Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including a printable escape plan and safety tips for cooking and home heating — the leading causes of home fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which is sponsoring Fire Prevention Week with the theme, “Fire Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape.”

Include at least two ways to exit every room in your home in your escape plan.
Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or a landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows to meet.
Tailor your escape plan to everyone’s needs in your household. If you or a loved one is deaf or hard of hearing, install strobe lights and bed-shaker alarms to help alert you to a fire.

Check your smoke alarms:

Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Test alarms monthly and change the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it.
Check the manufacturer’s date of your smoke alarms. Ten years or older, they likely need to be replaced because components such as the smoke detection sensor can become less reliable. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer’s instructions.

If you need and can’t afford smoke alarms:

Contact your local Red Cross office and they’ll arrange to get them installed for you at no cost. During the previous 12 months, the Northern Ohio Region of the Red Cross installed more than 8,300 smoke alarms, making more than 3,200 homes safer through our fire safety visits.

Since 2014, nearly 1,400 lives have been saved thanks to the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which includes Sound the Alarm events. During these events, local fire departments partner with the Red Cross and spend the day installing alarms for those who need them but don’t have them. Thousands of other families received new alarms when they discovered that theirs were so old they probably wouldn’t have worked in the case of a real fire.

Learn more about our Home Fire Campaign here, and/or request a smoke alarm, volunteer to help with installations or donate to help provide more free smoke alarms.

A lesson from childhood “Sounded the Alarm” for this Red Cross volunteer

Posted on June 28, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Sue Wilson, American Red Cross volunteer

American Red Cross volunteers come from many backgrounds, professions, and demographics and show up ready to work with different motivations. Whether it is the desire to make a difference, a way to network and socialize, or to stay active in retirement, a day in the field helping the Red Cross fulfill its mission with one of its many programs is a day well spent.

Elizabeth Sullivan (right), Red Cross Volunteer

Elizabeth Sullivan got involved this past May after a colleague suggested they partner with the Sound the Alarm campaign as part of their Yale Alumni Service activities. Sound the Alarm is part of the Red Cross home fire campaign, established in 2014 to help prevent fire-related fatalities. A similar program began in Cleveland in 1992, when the Red Cross partnered with the Cleveland Division of Fire to reduce fire fatalities by installing smoke alarms in homes and teaching fire safety.

Elizabeth, the director of opinion for cleveland.com, and previous editor of the editorial pages of The Plain Dealer, along with her team and others, installed 175 smoke alarms in 60 homes in Cleveland ‘s Old Brooklyn neighborhood on May 14. For her, the project took on a deeper meaning.

“My father survived a house fire as a child because his older sister came into the room at night with a wet towel, and they put it over their mouths and they crawled along the floor to safely escape,” said Elizabeth.

That experience prompted her father to do annual fire drills with their family when Elizabeth was a child. “We were taught basic fire safety tips, like touch the door before you open it to make sure it’s not hot and to go out the window.” While she and her siblings had fun climbing out on the roof, the importance of those drills stuck with her.

Red Cross volunteers, Elizabeth Sullivan (far right)

Covid paused this important program over the last two years, but this spring, Red Cross staff members and volunteers like Elizabeth installed 2,374 smoke alarms throughout Northern Ohio, making 929 homes safer.

Home fires claim lives every day, but having working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death by half. The good news? You don’t have to wait until the next Sound the Alarm campaign, the Red Cross installs smoke alarms throughout the year.

If you or someone you know may need a smoke alarm, click here to request a home safety visit and smoke alarm installation. And if Elizabeth’s story encouraged you to want to volunteer, find more information here.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer
Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross volunteer and board member

929 Northern Ohio homes made safer through Sound the Alarm

Posted on May 26, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Tim Poe, American Red Cross volunteer

Volunteers at the Sound the Alarm event in Garfield Heights – 5/13/22

Over the last few weeks, Red Cross volunteers and staff installed 2,374 smoke alarms throughout Northern Ohio, making 929 homes safer. Focus areas for this year’s initiative—the 30th anniversary of a program started in Cleveland—were Cleveland’s Collinwood and Old Brooklyn neighborhoods, Garfield Heights, Akron, Lorain, Wooster Township, Chippewa Township, Napoleon, Ohio, Fostoria, Ohio, and Monroe, Michigan (part of the Red Cross’s Northern Ohio Region.)

“This was my first time participating in a Sound the Alarm installation event, and it was a fantastic experience,” said Christy Peters, regional communications manager. “The residents we spoke with were so thankful for our help, and I left knowing the work we did could mean the difference between life and death for a family, should a home fire occur.”

The 30th anniversary of a partnership with the Cleveland Division of Fire was celebrated on 5/12/22

As I wrote earlier, Sound the Alarm and the Home Fire Campaign grew out of “Operation Save-A-Life,” an initiative begun in 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. It has been remarkably successful, helping keep annual fire fatalities in Cleveland below the 1992 level. The Home Fire Campaign, which includes Sound the Alarm, became a national Red Cross program in 2014.

While Sound the Alarm occurs each May, the Red Cross helps make homes safer year-round. Since July 1, 2021—the beginning of the Red Cross’s fiscal year—5,495 smoke alarms have been installed in Northern Ohio, and 2,102 homes have been made safer.

Fire safety initiatives such as this are vitally important, as we may have just two minutes to escape a home fire. Having working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death in such an event by half.

Volunteer Dick Kincaid tests an alarm he installed in a home in Wooster Township on 5/22/22

Since 2014, the Home Fire campaign has documented saving 21 lives in Northern Ohio, 1,275 nationally. Thanks to this month’s efforts, families in 929 homes throughout our region are now better protected.

For more information on the Home Fire Campaign, including tips on making your home safer, please visit this website.

Photos from this year’s Sound the Alarm and other local events can be viewed here.

Thirty years of lifesaving preparedness: Northern Ohio initiative helps Sound the Alarm

Posted on April 29, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Tim Poe, Red Cross Volunteer

Former Cleveland Mayor Mike White and then CEO of the Greater Cleveland Chapter, Steve D. Bullock

Part of a lifesaving campaign with its roots in Cleveland, 2022’s Sound the Alarm has begun. Over the next few weeks, the American Red Cross, fire departments and other partners will be visiting neighborhoods, with a goal of installing 50,000 smoke alarms, teaching fire safety and helping families develop two-minute escape plans. The smoke alarm installation portion, paused during the pandemic, returns this year.

The idea began in 1992 when 28 Cleveland residents, half of them children, died in home fires. Businessman and philanthropist Sam Miller chose to act. He joined with other civic leaders, the Red Cross and the Cleveland Fire Department to create “Operation Save-A-Life,” installing smoke alarms throughout the city. Thanks to this and other safety initiatives, annual fire fatalities in Cleveland have remained below the 1992 level.

Other regions took note, and the Red Cross’ Home Fire Campaign became national in 2014. Sound the Alarm is part of the effort. Read this article for more on Operation Save-A-Life and Sam Miller, who passed in 2019.

The program has been an astounding success. Since becoming national, Sound the Alarm and the Home Fire Campaign have saved 1,275 lives in the U.S., 402 under the age of 18. That includes 21 in Northern Ohio; 70 statewide. John Gareis, regional manager, Disaster Preparedness, Northern Ohio Region, pointed out that there are countless additional lives saved that we do not even hear about.

It is critical that the campaign continues, as home fires claim seven lives per day, on average, and are the most frequent disaster in the U.S. And sadly, deaths continue, with 45 fire fatalities reported in Ohio so far this year.

Preparation and smoke alarms are effective. When a fire occurs, you have as little as two minutes to escape, so having a plan and a working alarm are critical.

John has been a key part of the campaign since its beginnings in Cleveland, helping it grow into the national effort it is today.

John said, “We are excited to return to in-person smoke-alarm installation this year, along with continuing to provide fire education. Home fires, like other disasters, can happen anywhere, anytime, and Sound the Alarm helps people be ready. So often we see the effects of those who had prepared and those who, unfortunately, did not. Understanding the basics of fire safety, having escape and communication plans, and knowing what to do does save lives. Helping people during disasters is at the heart of the Red Cross mission, and preparation is key.”

Additional volunteers are welcome.

“Sound the Alarm is a meaningful way to be a part of a larger movement while directly helping local families,” said Tim O’Toole, regional disaster officer in Northern Ohio. “In just one day, you could help save a neighbor’s life by installing smoke alarms—which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.”

If you would like to volunteer, donate, request a smoke alarm or receive assistance preparing for a home fire, visit this site.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, Red Cross volunteer

Red Cross disaster response teams active in early April

Posted on April 11, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

One-hundred residents of Northern Ohio received Red Cross assistance during the past week, April 4-10, as volunteers responded to two-dozen home fires.

Five of the fires affected multiple-family homes.

“Our volunteer disaster responders have been very busy, and we are grateful that they answer the call, no matter when or where it happens,” said Tim O’Toole, Regional Disaster Officer. “They are true humanitarians. We could not respond to the needs of people in crisis without our volunteers.”

Immediate financial assistance totaling more than $22,700 was given to the affected residents. The money can be used for a hotel room, to replace clothing or other lost items, for meals or for whatever each resident prioritizes as a need.

In addition, Red Cross volunteer caseworkers reach out to the affected families to connect residents with additional community resources, as they try to move forward with their lives following the loss of their homes and possessions.

And if needed, Red Cross health and mental health volunteers are available to provide assistance as well.

The Red Cross never requires payment for the services provided to people who have experienced a disaster like a home fire. Such assistance is made possible through the generous donations of supporters. To help the next family that is forced by fire to flee their home, visit redcross.org/donate. You can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation, or call 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) to make a donation on the phone.

Time to Turn and Test to stay safe and on time

Posted on March 12, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Eilene E. Guy, American Red Cross volunteer

Good news is on the horizon: If it’s time to “spring ahead” one hour on Saturday night, can spring be far behind?

Good news right away: You can protect your home and family now by “turning and testing” Saturday night.

American Red Cross volunteers like John Muni, a retired firefighter in Medina County, are urging everyone across northern Ohio to test the batteries in their smoke alarms this weekend, before they turn their clocks ahead one hour to stay in step with their neighbors.

“Smoke alarms are our silent sentinels, our sleepless watchers to alert us to a disaster nobody wants –- a home fire,” John said.

Fox 8 reporter Todd Meany interviews Red Cross volunteer John Muni

“Just since the first of the year, our Red Cross Disaster Action Teams have responded to more than 250 home fires across northern Ohio, bringing comfort, support and immediate assistance to 1,000 families who were living through a nightmare,” John said. “It’s been a rough start to the year, and we don’t want more folks to go through that.”

That’s the purpose of the fall and spring “Turn and Test” campaigns nationwide, because home fires are the nation’s most frequent disaster.

The Red Cross wants people to take three simple steps:

Install smoke alarms. If you don’t have smoke alarms, install them. At least, put one on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. If you have an alarm that’s more than 10 years old, replace it; smoke detection strips wear out.

Check smoke alarm batteries. This is “Turn and Test.” Push the test button on each alarm and replace batteries, if needed. It’s a good time to check carbon monoxide detectors too.

Practice an escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household knows how to get out of every room and how to get out of the home in less than two minutes.

In May, the Red Cross will resume its “Sound the Alarm” campaign, working with partners to install free smoke alarms in homes and to brief residents on fire safety and escape planning. The campaign had to be adjusted during 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19.

This year, the Northern Ohio Region of the Red Cross has a goal to install more than 7,200 free smoke alarms and make more than 3,000 homes safer. Local fire departments, civic groups and workplace teams will provide the volunteer manpower for these important efforts.

“Sound the Alarm” is a national Red Cross program similar to one that started in Cleveland in 1992 as a partnership between the city’s fire department and the local Red Cross chapter. Since 2014, the campaign has installed more than 2.2 million(!) smoke alarms across the country that have saved more than 1,200 lives.

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.

And if you need free smoke alarms in your home, visit our website to ask for a home fire safety visit.

Edited By Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Honoring Steve Bullock during Black History Month

Posted on February 28, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Doug Bardwell, Red Cross volunteer

Northern Ohio has had their share of prominent African Americans: Olympian Jesse Owens, author Toni Morrison, US Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, inventor of the modern traffic light Garrett Morgan, and first black mayor of a major U.S. city Carl B Stokes. But, closest to the hearts of Northern Ohio Red Crosser’s is none other than our own Steve Bullock.

Steve Delano Bullock was the youngest of 22 children born to a sharecropper family in segregated North Carolina. He was in the U.S. Army in Vietnam in 1962 when he first volunteered with the Red Cross. He found a fit in the organization that upholds impartiality – not discriminating based on nationality, race, religion, class or political beliefs – as one of its fundamental principles.

– Steve Bullock, Photo credit: Daniel Cima/American Red Cross

Steve began his career with the organization in 1962, working as a caseworker on military installations. His work took him and his family to military posts throughout the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Twenty years later, he became the Chief Executive Officer and Chapter Manager of the Greater Cleveland Chapter.

In Cleveland, he oversaw the launch of Operation Save-A-Life, which aimed to reduce injuries and deaths due to home fires by providing residents in at-risk neighborhoods with fire safety education and free smoke alarms and installations. That initiative has been adopted by the Red Cross nationwide and, as of the end of 2021, more than 2.2 million alarms have been installed and more than 1,200 lives have been saved.

– Northern Ohio Sound the Alarm installation event

Steve Bullock’s career with the American Red Cross spanned six decades. During that time, he has been one of the hundreds of thousands of volunteers and paid staff striving to help Americans and people around the world prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

But there’s one thing no other Red Crosser will ever be able to claim: Steve was the first African American to sit at the helm of our nation’s premier humanitarian organization, when he was named Acting President of the national agency in Washington, DC.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find a more inspiring role model than Steve,” says Mike Parks, Regional CEO of the Red Cross in Northern Ohio. “It’s no wonder our humanitarian award is named in his honor. He has lived a life of service to mankind.”

Thank you, Steve Bullock, for your years of service to our military members, their families, and our mission.

If you feel a call to serve as Steve did, the Red Cross has a veritable wealth of opportunities for your talents. Start your journey here.

NOHredcross

American Red Cross of Northern Ohio Region

Tag Archives: Smoke Alarms