CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The American Red Cross of Tennessee River will visit the New Providence community Saturday, September 19 as part of its Home Fire Preparedness Campaign to teach people how to be prepared for home fires and install smoke alarms where needed.
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 launched a five-year nationwide campaign in 2014 to reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to home fires by 25 percent.
The Home Fire Preparedness Campaign is happening all over the country 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.
The Red Cross will be going through the neighborhoods west of New Providence Blvd. on Saturday, September 19 starting at 8:00 a.m. to install smoke alarms in homes that need them and to teach people about what to do in case a fire breaks out in their home. Partnering with the Red Cross will be the TN State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Clarksville Fire Fighters Local 3180, along with other community organizations.
“Installing smoke alarms cuts the risk of someone dying from a home fire in half, so we’re joining with groups from across our community to install smoke alarms and conduct fire safety checks,” said Larry Crowell, Disaster Program Manager. “We also will be teaching people how to be safe from home fire by developing fire escape plans with the families who choose to participate.”
A community interest meeting for the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign will be held on Thursday, September 3 from 10:00 – noon at The American Red Cross of Tennessee River, 1760 Madison St. Volunteers, partners, and individuals interested in participating are welcome to join. For more information, call 931-645-6401 or email larry.lavaughncrowell@redcross.org.
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