XENIA — Seven times a day, someone dies in a home fire in the United States.
On Saturday, Sept. 23, 30, Oct. 7 and 14, 9 a.m. and noon, the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and American Red Cross are partnering in an effort to change this unsettling statistic.
Beginning this month, MRC volunteers, and community members are gathering at four separate locations, where they will learn how to install smoke alarms and educate families about fire safety. Then, they will take to the streets and install free smoke alarms in any of the area’s homes that need them. The dates, times and locations are as follows:
• Saturday, Sept. 23, 9 a.m. and noon, Ward Park, Versailles
• Saturday, Sept. 30, 9 a.m. and noon, Phillipsburg
• Saturday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m. and noon, Wright Patterson AFB
• Saturday, Oct. 14, 9 a.m. and noon, VA Medical Center
The first round of installations begins at 9 am, until 12 pm, with another shift canvassing the neighborhood from 12:30 pm until 3:00 pm. Community volunteers are still needed and encouraged to arrive 20-30 minutes before each shift. To volunteer visit www.soundthealarm.org/dayton. To make an appointment to have a fire alarm installed call 937-221-7540.
“Fatalities and injuries from house fires can be prevented by having working smoke alarms in your home,” says Cory Paul, Executive Director of the Dayton Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, “and having a family escape plan further improves the odds of survival.”
The Red Cross works closely with the city’s fire department, assisting families and firefighters at home fires each year.
“Canvassing homes, educating families and installing alarms, are the key points of this campaign,” adds Paul, “and we can’t do this without our volunteers, community volunteers and partners like the Medical Reserve Corps.”
The MRC is a community-based, civilian, volunteer program that engages volunteers to help strengthen local public health infrastructure, as well as respond to disasters across the state or nation. Any healthcare professionals or non-medical community members 18 years or older can register for MRC. There is no obligation to serve, all requests to serve are voluntary and there is no legal obligation to assist. The decision to volunteer when called is up to the volunteer. To find more information about the Medical Reserve Corps go to www.OhioResponds.gov.
