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| Red Cross workers going door-to-door in Montrose, CO |
The American Red Cross of Western Colorado reached a milestone for the Home Fire Campaign Saturday, September 12, 2015, when they installed their 1000th smoke alarm. Teams spread out across Northbrook Villas in Montrose, CO. as part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign to test smoke alarms in homes, speak to residents about home fire safety and, if needed, install new smoke alarms or replace batteries.
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| Red Cross worker Mike Masto shows a smoke alarm to Damian Mares in Montrose, CO |
The install effort was coordinated by Kevin Kraus, the preparedness coordinator for the Red Cross in Western Colorado. “We have been working hard to make sure that people in our area are thinking about home fire safety,” Kraus said as he went door-to-door. “The project started almost a year ago and today we reached the 1000 mark here in Montrose.”
Red Cross workers went door-to-door on a warm afternoon and by the end of the day they had installed 91 smoke alarms. “Some of these homes had smoke alarms that were old and not working,” said Eric Meyers, executive director for the Red Cross of Western Colorado. “It felt pretty good to walk away from a home knowing they were just a little bit safer.”
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| The Ortega Family in Montrose, CO along with Red Cross workers Mike Masto and Bill Werner |
One of the homes at Northbrook Villas belonged to the Ortega family where Jesus Ortega, his wife and five children now have three new smoke alarms in their home. As the Red Cross team left the home twelve year old Maria Ortega came out of the house saying, “My dad does not speak English but he wanted me to say thank you to the Red Cross for making our home safer.”
You are welcome, Maria, the Red Cross was happy to do it.
Story and photos by Bill Fortune/American Red Cross
More photos are on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/redcrossmilehighchapter/albums/72157658574876431