LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Thank you to Sound The Alarm volunteers

Two minutes may be all the time you have to escape a home fire before it’s too late.

That’s why the American Red Cross of the Central Valley partnered with Porterville Fire Department and Tulare County Fire Department on April 30 to make sure local families are prepared to get out safely with working smoke alarms — which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.

Together, we installed 106 free smoke alarms for vulnerable households in Porterville, helped them create home fire escape plans and shared vital fire safety information.

This effort in our community is part of a series of national Red Cross Sound the Alarm events in May to install 50,000 free smoke alarms in at-risk neighborhoods across the country. Events like these are at the heart of our national Home Fire Campaign — which has helped save at least 1,275 lives, including 9 here in Central California, since 2014.

On behalf of those we serve, thank you to everyone who helped during April 30th’s Sound the Alarm event — as well as to our remarkable volunteers, donors and community partners who support the campaign year-round. To learn more about how you can protect your family and get involved, visit Soundthealarm.org/centralcalifornia.

Kaytlin Crough, Disaster Program Manager American Red Cross Central Valley Chapter