American Red Cross of Georgia honors MIRA USA for installing 1,000th free smoke alarm

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American Red Cross of Georgia pictured with the City of Atlanta Fire Department in a March 2024 photo as they collaborated in securing homes with fire alarms.

Credit: Red Cross of Georgia/Twitter

On June 1, the American Red Cross honored its community partner MIRA USA at an award ceremony at Iglesia de Dios Ministerial de Jesucristo Internacional in Norcross for installing its 1,000th free smoke alarm in honor of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign.

MIRA USA has worked with Red Cross since 2019 to help install free smoke alarms and "provide fire safety education in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods in Clayton, Cobb, Henry and Rockdale counties," per a press release.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support of MIRA USA, especially in serving Latino communities," Red Cross of Georgia's Regional Disaster and Preparedness and Partnership Manager, Kelly Sharon, said in a statement. "Home fires are a daily threat. We want to ensure everyone has access to the Home Fire Campaign and knows how to protect themselves and their loved ones from home fires."

According to Red Cross, home fires are the United States' most frequent type of disaster, with seven people losing their lives to a fire in their home every day, "most often in homes without working smoke alarms."

Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign to reduce the number of deaths and injuries resulting from house fires by educating families on fire safety. 

Red Cross of Georgia recently announced that the Home Fire Campaign has saved four more lives in Georgia following November 2023 when a house fire in Clayton County, Ga., affected a family of four's home.

MIRA USA had installed free smoke alarms in the family's home and provided free fire safety education as part of the Home Fire Campaign. Though they lost everything in the fire, the family made it out alive.

Per a 2020 Red Cross survey, most people are unaware that they sometimes have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it's too late.

With Red Cross's Home Fire Campaign, their volunteers, community partners, and fire departments have saved about 244 lives statewide and installed over 71,000 alarms in Georgia homes. 

To learn more about fire safety and free smoke alarms in Georgia, visit here.