News
July 17, 2017Tri-City Mayors Join Red Cross to Sound the Alarm
The American Red Cross of Northeastern New York is planning its largest local home fire safety and smoke alarm installation event ever this fall. From September 23 through October 15, the Red Cross will Sound the Alarm in more than 100 cities and towns nationwide to help save lives from home fires. Working with community partners across the country, the Red Cross plans to install 10,000 free smoke alarms during this period, culminating with the one-millionth alarm since the Home Fire Campaign was launched in 2014.
Locally, the Red Cross is joining forces with the cities of Albany, Schenectady and Troy for a massive Sound the Alarm fire safety event on Saturday, October 14. Today, Mayors Kathy Sheehan, Gary McCarthy, and Patrick Madden joined Red Cross representatives to announce their plan to install 1,000 free smoke alarms across three cities in one day.
“Over the last 12 months, Red Cross volunteers have responded to nearly 400 fires in our 24-county Eastern New York region. In fact, home fires are the biggest disaster threat our community faces, killing seven people in the U.S. every day,” said Gary Striar, regional CEO for the American Red Cross. “We want to put an end to these tragedies, which is why we’ve joined forces with the cities of Albany, Schenectady and Troy to Sound the Alarm in the Capital Region.”
“Sound The Alarm will bring vital fire safety education to neighborhoods throughout Albany – giving our residents the tools they need to protect their homes and keep their families safe,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “The City of Albany is committed to doing everything in our power to promote fire safety, and the Red Cross Sound the Alarm program is a welcome addition to our efforts.”
“Having working smoke alarms can be the difference between life and death in the event of a home fire emergency,” said Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy. “The City of Schenectady is proud to partner with the Red Cross to prevent and respond to fire-related tragedies. We want to see an end to these tragedies altogether, and that’s why we have pledged to Sound the Alarm this fall and bring our community together to save lives.”
“Fire safety devices like smoke alarms which are critically important for maintaining safe homes provide early warnings which save lives during a home fire emergency” said Troy Mayor Patrick Madden. “We are pleased to partner with the American Red Cross and our fellow Capital Region communities to Sound the Alarm this fall to offer this free lifesaving service to help protect children and families across the City of Troy.”
“On October 14, we need the entire Capital Region to come together and help us make an enormous impact,” Red Cross board chair and founder of Tangible Development, LLC, Sujata Chaudhry, said in closing. “We hope you’ll join in our effort to Sound the Alarm and save lives by volunteering to install smoke alarms, donating or fundraising to support the cause, and helping to spread the word about fire safety.”
To learn more and get involved now, visit soundthealarm.org/eny. From this site, people can sign up to volunteer, start a Sound the Alarm fundraiser, make a financial donation, learn more about home fire safety, and request free smoke alarms from the Red Cross.
Be a part of this important effort. Together, we can Sound the Alarm about fire safety and help save lives.
