Free Smoke Alarms Available Across Boone County

On August 20, local fire departments, volunteers, and members of the Local Emergency Planning Committee are participating in a project with the American Red Cross Nebraska-Southwest Iowa Region to install free smoke alarms to residents in Boone County.

According to a press release, this project is part of the American Red Cross’s Home Fire Campaign which aims to reduce the number of fire-related deaths and injuries by 25 percent by 2020. In 2015 alone, the Nebraska-Southwest Iowa Region has installed 1,972 smoke alarms and created 884 home fire escape plans. Smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 years. Every floor of the home as well as every bedroom should have a smoke alarm.

Residents wanting free smoke alarms for their home can contact the American Red Cross at (888) 382-3790 or contact your local fire department.

Fire alarms and installation are free. Smoke Alarms will be delivered to your residence on August 20th between 8:30 am and 1 pm.

As part of the Home Fire Campaign, the Red Cross is calling on everyone to take two simple steps that can save lives: check their existing smoke alarms and practice fire drills at home. There are several things families and individuals can do to increase their chances of surviving a fire:

• If someone doesn’t have smoke alarms, install them. At a minimum, put one on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Local building codes vary and there may be additional requirements where someone lives.
• If someone does have alarms, test them today. If they don’t work, replace them.
• Make sure that everyone in the family knows how to get out of every room and how to get out of the home in less than two minutes.
• Practice that plan. What’s the household’s escape time?

For more information about this project, please contact the Region 44 Emergency Management Office at 308.536.4443.

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