Southport added to Aug. 26 installation effort by Red Cross, fire departments in Southport, Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor

Mon, 08/21/2017 - 2:30pm

Ann Kim, American Red Cross of Maine

“When a home fire strikes, you have only about two minutes to escape safely. Smoke alarms can make all the difference,” says Southport Fire Chief Gerry Gamage (right), pictured with Red Cross Disaster Program Manager Larry French (left) and Boothbay Fire Chief Richard Spofford (center). Local fire departments are partnering with the American Red Cross of Maine to install free smoke alarms in Southport, Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor on Saturday, Aug. 26. Courtesy photo

Residents of Southport, along with those of Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor, can get smoke alarms installed in their homes for free through an effort led by the American Red Cross of Maine.

The Red Cross, local fire departments and community volunteers will make residents of Southport, Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor safer by installing free smoke alarms on Saturday, Aug. 26.

“When a home fire strikes, you have only about two minutes to escape safely,” said Southport Fire Chief Gerry Gamage. “Smoke alarms can make all the difference. We know that working smoke alarms reduce the risk of death in half.”

Southport, Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor residents can make an appointment for a home fire safety visit and free smoke alarm installation by calling the Red Cross at 874-1192, extension 113, or going to SoundTheAlarm.org/Maine. People interested in volunteering can also use that phone number and website.

“Home fires pose a great risk to communities. They kill seven people each day in the United States, but we can make ourselves safer through preparedness,” said Boothbay Fire Chief Richard Spofford. “We’ll be showing residents how to create escape plans and take other steps to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

The Aug. 26 event is part of an ambitious Red Cross campaign launched in 2014 to reduce home fire deaths and injuries by a quarter by 2020.

“Every eight minutes, the Red Cross responds to a disaster in the United States. The vast majority are home fires and they kill more people than all other disasters combined,” said Red Cross Disaster Program Manager Larry French. “Working with our community partners, we are making people safer, home by home.”

In Maine, the Red Cross and its partners have installed more than 8,000 smoke alarms and are on track to install an additional 3,600 over the next year. Nationally, at least 941,916 smoke alarms have been installed. The national campaign has saved at least 268 lives.

The event for Southport, Boothbay Harbor and Boothbay is made possible by a grant from the Doree Taylor Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, as is the case with two other Lincoln County smoke alarm installation events. The one in Waldoboro last month made 64 residents safer and installed 121 free smoke alarms. Another will be held in Wiscasset on Sept. 23.