Across Connecticut, one way Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated Monday was in saving lives. The Red Cross of Connecticut went across the city of New Haven to check smoke alarms, install new smoke detectors and educate the public on fire safety.
“He says ‘I have a dream,’ and my dream would be to be safe,” Karen Tucker, of New Haven, said.
That dream came true for her and her two great-nephews on Monday when the Red Cross came knocking on their door.
“They said, ‘Well we are going to come and do some free testing of your smoke detectors and replace them.’ I said, ‘Oh OK, come on,’” Tucker said.
The Red Cross volunteers went door-to-door from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a goal of installing at least 200 smoke detectors.
“Martin Luther King (Jr.) once said today the day is ‘ripe to do right,’ and you know it's a great day of service,” Mario Bruno, the CEO of the Red Cross in Connecticut and Rhode Island, said.
Each lithium ion battery smoke detector installed will last 10 years. The installations are a part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign to reduce the number of home fire deaths and injuries.
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“We are here to save lives. That is really what it comes down to,” John Basso, a Red Cross volunteer, said.
The Red Cross said that around 3,000 people across the country die every year from house fires. In Connecticut, Red Cross volunteers respond to around two fires a day.
“Smoke detectors give you on average two minutes, once they are activated, to get out in an active fire. So, those precious moments are critical for people to save their lives and get out,” New Haven Fire Chief, John Alston, said.
Tucker didn’t have working smoke detectors throughout her apartment until Monday and now she has an important message to share.
“Get their smoke detectors checked and changed and get new ones, or, let the Red Cross people come by,” Tucker said.
If you would like help with your smoke detectors, contact the Connecticut Red Cross at (877) 287-3327 or go to their website www.redcross.org/ct/schedule-a-visit.
