By Leila Roche and Bill Fortune
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
In honor of his legacy, over 150 volunteers from Colorado and Wyoming gave their time to help their neighbors this 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Together, they visited nearly 300 homes and installed more than 500 smoke alarms for their neighbors.
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| Volunteer Kathy Sharkey explains home fire safety with Daisy Payton of Widefield. Photo by Joe Coleman, American Red Cross |
The effort was part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which aims to reduce home fire injuries and deaths by 25 percent over five years. Each day, seven people die and 36 suffer injuries from home fires on average, and an estimated $7 billion in property damage occurs each year due to them.
As part of the campaign, the Red Cross joins with local fire departments, community groups and businesses to canvas neighborhoods, teach people about fire safety and install free smoke alarms in high-risk areas.
On Saturday, Jan. 16, Red Cross volunteers and partners from PCL Construction and Federal Heights Fire Department canvassed homes in Federal Heights; another group of volunteers visited homes in Boulder.
On Monday, Jan. 18, multiple teams of Red Cross volunteers worked a “day on” in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. in communities across the two state region, visiting homes Leadville, Salida,
Security-Widefield, Woodland Park and Fort Collins. On the same day, teams in Wyoming installed smoke detectors at the Wind River Indian Reservation, partnering with the Northern Arapahoe and Eastern Shoshone tribes.
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| Harvey Spoonhunter from Northern Arapaho Emergency management talks fire safety to a family on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Photo by Pat Kondas, American Red Cross |
Thank you to all of our partners who helped install smoke detectors and to educate people about the importance of fire safety:
- PCL Construction
- Federal Heights Fire Department
- Poudre Fire Authority
- The Lauren Project
- Northern Arapaho Emergency Management
- Eastern Shoshone Emergency Management
- Eastern Shoshone Public Health
- Catholic Charities of Central Colorado
- U.S. Army-Fort Carson
- Rocky Ford Fire Department
- Leadville – Lake County Fire Rescue
- Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity
Local restaurants also joined the partnership with their support to help feed our volunteers.
- Rocky Ford Food Market
- Leadville Subway
- The Breadboard in Riverton Wyoming
- Firehouse Subs in Fort Collins
Get Involved
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| Volunteers go door-to-door in Federal Heights. Photo by Eric Jones, American Red Cross |
To learn how you can join the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign as a volunteer, visit redcross.org/Colorado/firesafety.
Additional Resources
- Get educated about the real numbers surrounding home fires by viewing this Home Fire infographic
- Create a home fire escape plan
- Review this home fire safety check list