By Bill Fortune
If we all had the choice most of us would prefer to never have to go through a tragedy like losing a loved one. Every day someone in America experiences a home fire and in many cases the fire results in a fatality that could have been avoided if the home had working smoke alarms.
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| Firefighters install a smoke alarm in a home. Photo courtesy Catholic Charities of Central Colorado |
The American Red Cross is working hard to reduce the number of fatalities that are caused by home fires. On November 7, our teams of Red Cross volunteers and partners under the direction of Dana Goldsmith, the Prepare Colorado Program Development Specialist with the Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado, went to Leadville and Salida to install smoke alarms as part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign. In a four hour period, the teams installed 91 smoke alarms. “We hit the ground running along with our partners,” Goldsmith said. “It truly was a team effort to help save lives.”
At the home of Sarah Woodcock in Leadville the installation of smoke alarms was a welcome sight.
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| Sara Woodcock and her sons talk home fire safety with fireman Leo Schmitt. Photo courtesy Catholic Charities of Central Colorado. |
She and her family were in the midst of renovations when she saw a news release from the Red Cross about free smoke alarms. After reading the article in the newspaper she quickly called for an appointment. “It was just something we didn’t think of during our renovations,” she said. “I am so grateful that the Red Cross provided the smoke alarms and that the fire department came and installed them. I feel better knowing my sons and I will be a little safer.”
Woodcock is like so many others that have benefited from the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign that has installed over 100,000 alarms since the program started in 2014.
The Red Cross teamed up with several partner organizations to make that happen:
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| Red Cross volunteers and partners get last minute instructions from Dana Goldsmith. Photo courtesy Catholic Charities of Central Colorado |
Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, Leadville Fire Department, Lake County Emergency Management, Leadville First Response,the Holy Family Parish, the Salida Fire Department. City of Salida, and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Red Cross would also like to thank Domino’s Pizza Buena Vista and Moonlight Pizza in Salida for their generous donation and support.