IT'S ALL ABOUT SMOKE ALARMS
 
Answer your doorbell on Saturday morning.

The American Red Cross along with the Bluffton Fire Department and Bluffton University Serve Team will be go door-to-door as part of its Home Fire Preparedness Campaign.

According to Jon Kinn, Bluffton fire chief, the event is to teach people how to be prepared for home fires and install smoke alarms where needed.

The three groups will also  install smoke alarms in homes that need them and teach people about what to do in case a fire breaks out in their home.

"We'll start at 9 a.m. from the fire stations," he said. "We plan is to visit approximately 100-200 homes.
 
 Kinn added: “A working smoke detector is the best way to combat a fire next to having a sprinkler system. We’re hoping that in a five-year period with initiatives like the Home Fire Campaign and our Safe & Sound campaign to reduce fire deaths by 25 percent
  
Some fire statistics       
Seven times a day someone in this country dies in a home fire. Countless others suffer injuries. To combat these tragic statistics, the Red Cross has launched a nationwide campaign to reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to home fires by 25 percent over the next five years.

About the campaign
The Home Fire Preparedness Campaign takes place across the U.S. and involves Red Cross workers joining with local fire departments and community groups to visit neighborhoods at high risk for fires.

Those visits include educating people about fire safety through door-to-door visits and installation of smoke alarms in some of these neighborhoods.
 
Simple Steps to Save Lives
The Red Cross also is asking every household in America to take the two simple steps that can save lives:
• checking their existing smoke alarms and practicing fire drills at home.
• Call 1-844-207-4509 to request a free home safety visit and free smoke alarm installation from the Red Cross.
 
For more information on how to prepare for emergencies, people can visit redcross.org/WestCentralOhio.