On February 28, volunteers from the American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin Fire Safety Alert Team met with volunteers from Cedar Hills Church in Oak Creek and the Wisconsin Assembly of the Church of God to teach them how to reach out to local residents with fire safety information.

The Fire Safety Alert Team guided 32 new volunteers, including 20 youth, to areas where residential fires recently occurred. Together, they walked the streets, distributing hangtags filled with information about preventing and preparing for a fire.

In two hours, the group passed out 700 hangtags and distributed 450 brochures. They received a big thank you from Red Cross volunteers, who appreciated the group’s dedication to helping residents in the communities we serve live safer lives.

On April 25, the Fire Safety Alert Team will join once again with local volunteers from HOPE worldwide in recognition of National Volunteer Week 2009. This year’s theme is “Hands That Serve, Hearts That Care.” This is the third project the Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin and HOPE worldwide have worked on together, including a successful Martin Luther King project, staffed by 34 volunteers who distributed more than 5,000 hangtags!

Fire Safety Alert is a Red Cross educational program. Volunteers distribute fire safety information and referrals for smoke detectors in neighborhoods that have been affected by residential fires. Fire Safety Alert was developed in response to a deadly Milwaukee fire that claimed the lives of 19 people, including 17 children. The Mayor of Milwaukee called for a task force on fire prevention and asked for the help of the Red Cross.

Residents of Milwaukee aren't the only ones who benefit from this program, Fire Safety Alert Volunteers are rewarded with the knowledge that they may have prevented a tragedy. Help your community and save lives today! Become a Fire Safety Alert volunteer by visiting our volunteer page!