Free smoke alarms will be available for Boone County residents

On August 20

, 2016, 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 detectors to residents in Boone County. 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.

SIMPLE STEPS TO SAVE LIVES 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?

RED CROSS APPS People can learn how to help prevent a home fire and what to do if one occurs by downloading the Red Cross Emergency App. Children can have fun and learn how to prevent a home fire and other emergencies in the Monster Guard: Prepare for Emergencies App. The First Aid App provides expert advice including what to do for burns, broken bones and breathing and cardiac emergencies. The apps can be downloaded for free in app stores or at redcross.org/apps.

The Boone County Local Emergency Planning Committee reached out to the American Red Cross to conduct the project in Boone County. The Local Emergency Planning Committee members include Albion Fire and Rescue Department, Boone County Health Center, Saint Edward Fire Department, Boone County Roads, Boone County Sheriff, Tallgrass Energy, Valero Ethanol Plant, East Central District Health Department, Boone Central School, Nebraska Department of Roads, Helena Chemical Company, Riverside Public School, and Albion News.

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