1. Invitation to Cover:
American Red Cross to kick-off Home
Fire Preparedness Campaign, install
smoke alarms in Williamsport
Saturday October 25, 2014
9:00 a.m. volunteers gather at the Red
Cross Office prior to canvassing on
Memorial Ave
Red Cross office, 320 E. Third Street,
Williamsport, PA 17701,
American Red Cross
serving Central PA
www.redcross.org/centralpa
Contact: Kathy Smyser
Phone: (717) 475-7964
kathy.smyser@redcross.org
The American Red Cross Launches National Campaign for Home Fire Safety
Home Fire Preparedness Campaign
Harrisburg, PA (October 1, 2014) – Volunteers of the American Red Cross will be canvassing
streets around Williamsport’s Pajama Factory area on Saturday, October 25, starting a 9:00 a.m.
to install smoke alarms and discuss fire safety and preparedness with residents at kick-off the
American Red Cross’s Home Fire Preparedness Campaign. During the national 5-year, two-prong
Home Fire Preparedness Campaign, which debuted this month, The American Red Cross
is working with volunteers and donors to reduce the number of fire deaths and injuries in the
United States by 25 percent within the five years of the campaign.
The Red Cross is using data from five years of responses regarding demographic risk factors to
target neighborhoods at greatest risk for home fires. This month the program will focus on
Williamsport, and additional communities will be targeted as well. Data shows that four percent
of homes without smoke alarms represent nearly 40 percent of home fires. A major step in this
campaign is to install 500,000 smoke alarms per year for the next five years, starting with the
targeted neighbors at greatest risk. The Red Cross is also asking every household to take two
important steps to help save lives: checking their existing smoke alarms and practicing fire drills
at home.
On Monday, October 20th, The Red Cross covered a six-block area from Rose to 7th and High
Street to Memorial Avenue in downtown Williamsport to distribute door hangers with information
about the campaign and fire safety tips. On Saturday, October 25th they will return to install
smoke alarms in homes of need and provide information on how to be prepared in the event of a
home fire. Mayor Gabriel Campana’s office, the Williamsport Bureau of Fire and members of
Americorps and FEMA-Corp will be in attendance to assist.
Furthermore, The Red Cross and its partners will establish local coalitions nationally consisting
of fire departments, houses of worship, businesses, schools, after-school groups, public health
departments, social service agencies and neighborhood leaders, among others. They will review
family disaster plan templates and home safety checklists with each home. These coalitions will
also educate students at school-based programs on fire safety with the aid of a fun and
interactive smart phone app.
Disaster Program Manager Steve Leauber is pleased with the campaign’s goals thus far and
believes that they’ll be successful with a team effort. “The concept is great and I think we can
affect a lot of change and turn (fire deaths and injury rates) around,” Leauber said.

2. With the campaign’s current focus still on communities in Williamsport and Central PA, The Red
Cross is set to install 500 smoke alarms in homes as a part of phase one in the campaign. To
stay on track, further plans include visiting an estimated 325,000 targeted homes nationwide
every year to educate on fire safety and install smoke alarms.
The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers that provides relief to
victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. All
American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time
and money from caring individuals and, in part, by contributions given through the United Way.
###
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters;
supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides
international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross
is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American
public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at
http://blog.redcross.org.
The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers that provides
relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of
time and money from caring individuals and, in part, by contributions given through the United
Way.
---30---
American Red Cross serving Central Pennsylvania
A United Way Organization