Daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 9 and the American Red Cross asks everyone to TURN their clocks forward one hour and TEST their smoke alarms.
Over the past week, local Red Cross volunteers responded to help 88 people, in Chicago, Spring Grove, Evanston, Justice, Skokie, Batavia, Morris, Joliet, Elgin, Plainfield and Richton Park affected by 25 home fires, which account for most of the more than 60,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to annually across the country. Red Cross volunteers provided items to meet immediate needs after a fire and additional support in the form of shelter, health and mental health services and one-on-one support.
A working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half. That’s why it’s critical to “Turn and Test” and take these lifesaving steps to stay safe from home fires — the nation’s most frequent disaster:
Visit redcross.org/fire for more information. You can also download our free Emergency app by searching “American Red Cross” in app stores.
