News
May 8, 2018Red Cross Installs 878 Smoke Alarms During Tri-City Sound the Alarm Event
Volunteers Also Continue Responding to Home Fires and Other Disasters
With the help of approximately 300 volunteers and partners, the American Red Cross of Northeastern New York visited nearly 400 homes in the cities of Albany, Schenectady and Troy on Saturday, May 5, and installed a total of 878 free smoke alarms for local residents during the Sound the Alarm. Save a Life. event.
“It was incredible to see so many people come together to Sound the Alarm in the Capital Region,” said Gary Striar, Regional CEO for the American Red Cross. “In addition to making hundreds of families safer, we were able to welcome many new volunteers and partners to the Red Cross through this event. We are grateful to everyone who supported us and helped make Sound the Alarm such a success. It was a true community effort.”
The Red Cross was joined on Saturday by Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy, Troy Mayor Patrick Madden, Assemblymembers Angelo Santabarbara and John T. McDonald, Harlem Globetrotter Firefly Fisher, mascots from the Tri-City Valley Cats, Stewart’s Shops and Chuck E. Cheese’s, and volunteers from numerous community groups and corporate partners. Breakfast and lunch were generously donated by Dunkin’ Donuts, The Muffin Man Gives, Chuck E. Cheese’s, and Cusato’s Pizzeria. Local sponsors included CSEA, Dominion Energy, the Frederick McDonald Trust, KeyBank, MVP Health Care, National Grid, SEFCU, Spectrum, State Farm, Stewart’s Shops and Turner Construction. (NOTE: Additional photos available on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or by request.)
The Red Cross responds to nearly 64,000 disasters a year, the majority of which are home fires. This weekend, Red Cross volunteers in Eastern New York – in addition to installing 878 smoke alarms – responded to three home fires (in Albany, Schenectady and Saratoga counties) and provided assistance to nine local families impacted by storm damage following Friday night’s heavy winds and rain. In total, the Red Cross provided immediate emergency aid to 27 adults and 17 children across 8 counties, all while executing a successful tri-city Sound the Alarm event.
The Red Cross will continue to offer free smoke alarms across the region on a rolling basis. Volunteer teams have already begun to respond to requests from local residents following Saturday’s event. People can support this ongoing effort by volunteering, making a financial donation, testing their smoke alarms regularly, practicing their fire escape plans, and spreading the word about fire safety. To learn more, or to request free smoke alarms from the Red Cross, please visit soundthealarm.org/eny.
