On Saturday, Feb. 21, The American Red Cross of Southeast Mississippi and the City of Hattiesburg Fire Department are joining hands to ensure residents of Hattiesburg are safe from home fires. The Red Cross Home Fire Preparedness Initiative aims to decrease fatalities and injuries from home fires by ensuring families have working smoke alarms and a plan should a home fire occur.
Red Cross is providing free smoke alarms to residents who have identified a need. Volunteers from Lucky Day Citizenship Scholarship Team, USM Alumni Legacy Board Community Service, and the Red Cross will go door to door in neighborhoods identified by the Hattiesburg Fire Department, speaking with residents about fire prevention and safety tips. Members of the fire department will install the smoke alarms in homes that are without working alarms.
Smoke alarms save lives. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in home fires by half.
“Our goal is to raise awareness about the dangers of home fires, teach people how to prevent them, and ensure that if they don’t have working smoke alarms, to allow the fire department to do an installation in their home,” said Angie Grajeda, disaster program manager , American Red Cross of Southeast Mississippi.
About the installation event:
When: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015
Where: Hattiesburg Fire Dept. #1, 810 North Main St., Hattiesburg, MS 39401
Time: 8 a.m. – Volunteers are asked to report to the fire station by 8 a.m. for a brief training and team assignment
For event day information, please contact:
- Angie Grajeda, disaster program manager, American Red Cross of Southeast Mississippi, 228-365-3441 (cell)
- Chief Paul Presley, Hattiesburg Fire Department, 601-582-3311