![Volunteers listen attentively as they are being educated on how to fulfill their duties during an installation of a smoke alarm. [Source: Aileen Oh]](http://www.jstudentboard.com/reporter/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/3-1-homefire.jpg)
[Source: Aileen Oh]
Home fires are a huge safety hazard that is often overlooked. Every day, 7 civilians die from a homefire, amounting to approximately 2,570 annual deaths. Smoking in bed was found to the leading cause of civilian home fire deaths, which can be prevented through more campaigns similar to that of the Red Cross and increased awareness about the importance of installing fire alarms.
Many people gave a tremendous amount of support to the cause. LA Kings Club members, UCLA students, and Red Cross e-board members showed up early in the morning to be instructed on how to educate homeowners, fill out documents, and install smoke alarms. Each team of four or five people would set out to install alarms in appointed homes and ask around the neighborhood for those that needed new smoke alarms.
As a participant in this event, I can definitely say it was a worthwhile experience. It was amazing to get to meet new people who shared my passion of giving back to the community. It was also very rewarding to know that I would potentially save the lives of many who could have died because of a lack of an effective smoke alarm. These feelings lined up exactly with the goal of the event coordinator, which was to make sure that all volunteers felt appreciated.
Participant Eujin Ro states, “It was my first event with the Red Cross and I am so glad I came out. I had a blast and am definitely looking forward to future Red Cross events.”
Events like this are what bring a community closer together and give them a sense of working together for a common cause.
