10,000 Homes Made Safer

Jake Pumputis learned you have
as little as two minutes to safely
escape a burning home.

10,000 homes. It's a pretty staggering number by itself. But when you consider that's the number of Western and Central New York homes our volunteers have visited since the Home Fire Campaign began in 2014, it takes on a whole new meaning.

"I learned a lot in the last ten minutes!" With home visits constantly taking place, it's hard to determine actually which home was the 10,000th our volunteers helped make safer. But Jake Pumputis' apartment in Rochester is close. He heard about the campaign from a close friend, and felt the fire safety information he was provided was just as important as the free smoke alarms volunteers installed during their late August, 2019, visit.

"I would recommend it, and everyone should take part, regardless of if you own or rent," Pumputis said.

"I think it's wonderful, I'm proud to live where the Red Cross started!" Cheryl Ingalls lives in

Disaster Program Specialist Meghan Crowley installs a
free smoke alarm in Cheryl Ingalls' Dansville, NY, home.

Dansville, NY, where Clara Barton founded the first American Red Cross Chapter in 1881. Volunteers visited her home a day after helping Pumputis learn more about fire safety.

"I heard from a friend, and it helped since I couldn't get them myself," Ingalls said of the free smoke alarms volunteers installed in her home.

Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half. 25 lives in Western and Central New York have been saved thanks to the free smoke alarms installed by Red Cross volunteers over the past five years. We know that with your continued support, we can have the same impact in the next 10,000 homes we visit.

Help us Sound the Alarm for fire safety by volunteering to help install alarms, making a donation to help keep this lifesaving program free, or by registering for a free installation appointment. Visit soundthealarm.org/wcny to learn more.

-Jay Bonafede, Regional Communications Officer
American Red Cross, Western and Central New York Region