Free Smoke Alarm Installations Available for East Hartford Residents

The Connecticut American Red Cross and the East Hartford Fire Department are joining together to offer free smoke alarms and installation to residents in East Hartford on Friday, August 4. The smoke alarm installations are part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign to reduce the number of home fire deaths and injuries.

“Smoke alarms are a crucial part of improving fire safety for our residents,” said Mayor Marcia A. Leclerc. “A properly installed and maintained smoke detector is the first line of defense in the event of a fire, when seconds matter to protect life. I want to thank the Connecticut Chapter of the American Red Cross and the East Hartford Fire Department for partnering on this important program.”

“In East Hartford, the majority of our residential fires are in single family homes, said Fire Chief John Oates. We know that working smoke detectors save lives. Partnering with the ARC will only enhance our smoke detector program and enable us to increase the number of protected families in our community. Last year the fire department issued nearly 300 smoke detectors. With the support of the ARC, we hope to increase that quantity.”

““Home fires are the biggest disaster threat faced in the U.S.,” said Mario Bruno, CEO, American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region “On average, in our region, we respond to about two home fires each day. Our goal is to reach as many homes as we can with this program to help ensure people know what to do and are prepared in the event they experience a home fire.”

Red Cross volunteers, the East Hartford Fire Department and the East Hartford Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will visit homes between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on August 4. Teams making visits will share fire safety and preparedness information and install smoke alarms in homes as requested. Volunteers will help families understand the importance of fire safety and help them develop personalized family escape plans to use in the event a fire breaks out in their home. Residents can schedule a visit on the Connecticut Chapter of the American Red Cross’s website or by calling 877-287-3327 and choosing option 1 on the menu to request a smoke alarm installation.

For more information about fire safety and ways you can protect your family, visit the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign website.