CLEARFIELD – Final preparations are under way to “Sound the Alarm” in Clearfield Borough.
At Thursday’s Clearfield Borough Council meeting, Deputy Fire Chief Justin Worley said there’s still room for more volunteers to help with the “Sound the Alarm” initiative. The fire department is partnering with the Red Cross to put on the event.
Worley said there have been about 60 residents who have called to pre-register for the installation of smoke alarms in their homes.
He said there is still time for residents to call if they would like the volunteers to come to their houses. Worley said they are hoping to have a total of 100 homes pre-register for the program.
Borough Operations Manager Leslie Stott said the Red Cross has been working hard to prepare for the program and there has been a very good response from the community and it looks like the program is going to be very successful.
The “Sound the Alarm” program will begin at 9 a.m. on April 28.
According to the Red Cross’ Web site, the “Sound The Alarm” campaign will run from April 28-May 13. The program was started in 2014 as part of the “Home Fire” campaign and it is designed to improve the odds of surviving a house fire.
According to the Web site, seven people die in home fires every day. Most of the fatalities occur in homes that lack working smoke alarms. Many of these victims are children and the elderly disproportionately lose their lives.
The American Red Cross wants to improve the odds and save lives, and that’s why it launched the Home Fire Campaign in 2014.
During the “Sound The Alarm” campaign, volunteers will canvass at-risk neighborhoods, install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms and provide fire prevention and safety information to residents.
According to the Web site, more than 1 million smoke alarms have been installed.
About 125 volunteers are needed for the program. The fire department, along with the Red Cross and several local businesses, agreed to participate.
Anyone who wishes to volunteer or who would like the volunteers to come to their homes can contact the Red Cross at 814-371-2750.