American Red Cross of Georgia and local fire department install free smoke alarms in Lowndes County
Published 2:25 pm Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Submitted photo
The American Red Cross, Lowndes Fire Rescue and volunteers installed 97 free smoke alarms in 56 homes as part of the Red Cross’s Sound the Alarm event. (Submitted photo)
Submitted photo
Submitted photo
Submitted photo
VALDOSTA — Over the weekend, the American Red Cross of South Central Georgia, in partnership with Lowndes County Fire Rescue and volunteers, installed 97 free smoke alarms in 56 homes as part of its Sound the Alarm event. In total, 175 people were served.
The event began with remarks from Jackie Shoemaker, executive director of the South Central Chapter, Bill Slaughter, Lowndes County chairman, and Michael Smith, Greater Valdosta United Way CEO. Volunteers received training before going door-to-door to install alarms and discuss fire safety with families.
The campaign aims to enhance fire safety awareness for at-risk families. From March 1 to March 29, the Red Cross of Georgia plans to install 1,600 alarms statewide.
The Red Cross responds to about 65,000 disasters annually, most of which are home fires. Home fires claim seven lives daily in the U.S., but working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death in half, the Red Cross said in a press release. The Sound the Alarm event aims to reduce home fire fatalities. Since October 2014, the Home Fire Campaign has saved at least 2,266 lives, including 255 in Georgia, the release said.
This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from the community, including the Georgia Sound the Alarm sponsors State Farm, Northside Hospital, Georgia Power Foundation, Veritiv, Atlanta Gas Light, GreyStone Power Corporation, North Georgia Electric Membership Foundation, and Walton EMC.
