The Iowa Red Cross is working with the State Fire Marshal’s office and community firefighters to install free home smoke alarms in several communities during the next several weeks.
They started with volunteers going door-to-door in the central Iowa town of Madrid Saturday, and Red Cross spokeswoman, Kara Kelly, says they have other events planned across the state. She says they work closely with the fire departments in the communities and try to hit areas where there have been a high number of fires, and they also look for the elderly or low-income residents who might not be able to afford their own smoke alarms
“In most cases the smoke alarms are donated either via our national organization or through somebody who has donated money for the purchase of smoke alarms,” Kelly explains. “We’re very lucky in our partnership with the Iowa State Fire Marshal, they apply for a FEMA grant to buy smoke alarms and then they donate them to this project.”
Kelly says there’s an easy way for you to get a free smoke alarm if you need one by contacting your local Red Cross chapter, and they can come out and check your home or many fire departments also make checks. Kelly says they also can use help in getting out and installing the smoke alarms.
“If folks do want to volunteer, we have several projects upcoming that may be near their communities. The easiest way to find the closet project is to go to www.redcross.org/ia and click on the Home Fires campaign,” Kelly says. The next Home Fire Campaign smoke detector installation is set for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area on April 23rd.
Projects are planned in the following communities this spring:
Sioux City, April 30
Ottumwa, May 14
Fort Dodge, May 21
Clinton, May 21
Ogden, June 11
Iowa City, June 18