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March 28, 2019 -- Westchester County Executive George Latimer has announced his partnership with the American Red Cross for the “Sound the Alarm, Save a Life” Campaign. The nationwide initiative was created to help spread the word about the importance of smoke alarms, and fire safety. On Saturday, May 11, teams from the American Red Cross Greater New York Region will be providing free smoke alarms and smoke alarm installations in the Yonkers community.
County Executive George Latimer said: “Keeping Westchester County homeowners safe is my top priority, and having a working smoke alarm is critical for the early detection of a home fire. I am proud to support this proactive initiative to install free smoke alarms throughout Yonkers, and hope it will raise awareness and improve the safety of our residents.”
The New York State Senate has passed legislation that will go into effect on April 1, requiring all battery-operated smoke alarms sold in New York be equipped with non-removable, sealed-in batteries capable of powering the device for at least 10 years. The long-life batteries make it difficult for a homeowner to disable the device when it’s activated by cooking, cigarette smoke or a drained battery, and residents no longer have to remember to change the smoke alarm battery every six months.
CEO of the American Red Cross Metro New York North Chapter Mary Young said: "We are so grateful to the County Executive for being a champion of the Red Cross home fire campaign. We know working smoke alarms save lives, and we encourage everyone to check their alarms and review critical fire safety information. Our organization is more than 90 percent volunteers, so we hope people will join us by volunteering with the Red Cross to install the alarms. It is such a rewarding experience to make our communities safer."
For more information about the “Sound the Alarm, Save a Life” program, visit https://www.redcross.org/sound-the-alarm.