With rise in fire calls, Red Cross stresses free smoke alarm program
With chilly temperatures and strong winds invading the valley this week, the Red Cross said now is a good time for Southern Nevada residents to take advantage of a program offering smoke alarm installation free of charge in residences where they are needed.
“During the holiday season, 70 percent of home fire calls the Red Cross responded to in the Utah/Nevada region took place in Las Vegas,” said Jennifer Sparks, communications manager for the Red Cross.
The Red Cross will, for free, come to a resident’s house, inspect smoke alarms and make sure they are working properly. If necessary new 10-year-alarms will be installed. Participants must make an appointment by calling 702-697-1707.
The Red Cross points to a string of fires in the Las Vegas Valley this winter, some of them deadly, as proof of the importance of working smoke detectors.
“These included major, multi-family fires including the Alpine Motel and the Rancho Verde apartment fires which came within days of each other and displaced dozens of people from their homes,” Sparks said.
“There is often an uptick in home fires in the winter as people are trying to keep their homes warm. But I can’t stress enough how important it is for people to have functioning smoke alarms,” said Alan Diskin, executive director of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross. “We install smoke alarms for free all year round. We would so much rather meet members of the community while we’re doing a smoke alarm install than we would at the scene of a fire.”
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
