(Photo By Flickr User Jamie King)

The American Red Cross in partnership with the Pekin Fire Department will be installing free smoke alarms in Pekin, IL.

Volunteers from the Red Cross and the Pekin Fire Department will provide and install the smoke alarms and share home fire preparedness information with the residents.

Smoke Alarm Factoid:

Seven times a day someone in this country dies in a home fire. Countless others suffer injuries. To combat these tragic statistics, the Red Cross has launched the Home Fire Campaign, a nationwide initiative to reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to home fires by 25 percent over the next five years.

Simple Steps to Save Lives:

The Red Cross is asking everyone to take two simple steps that can save lives:

(1) Check their existing smoke alarms

(2) Practice fire drills at home.

There are several things families and individuals can do to increase their chances of surviving a fire:

-If someone doesn’t have smoke alarms, install them. At a minimum, put one on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Local building codes vary and there may be additional requirements where someone lives.

-If someone does have alarms, test them today. If they don’t work, replace them.

-Make sure that everyone in the family knows how to get out of every room and how to get out of the home in less than two minutes.

-Practice that plan. What’s the household’s escape time?

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 visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

The smoke alarm installation will take place on Saturday, November 7th. Installation is by appointment only, so Pekin residents are urged to call the Pekin Fire Department at 309-477-2388 to schedule a smoke alarm installation appointment.

As a reminder, you can help people affected by disasters like home fires and countless other crises by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.