It’s national Fire Prevention Month, the perfect time to check your home to head off future disaster.

Started in 1922 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, its goal every October is to help protect homes and families, spread fire safety awareness, and educate families, students and communities across the United States with help from area fire departments.

And help is available locally.

The American Red Cross is bringing volunteers to Butler on Oct. 28 for its Sound the Alarm program, which installs free smoke alarms in homes. Other local fire departments also offer free smoke alarms. If your home is not protected by alarms, we urge you to contact them.

An estimated 358,500 fires occur in U.S. homes every year, and they caused 2,620 deaths last year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

Home fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in the home. The second-leading cause of home fires is heating sources such as wood stoves and fireplaces. Fires caused by smoking are the leading cause of deaths from residential fires.

A week rarely goes by that we in the Butler Eagle newsroom don’t hear at least several calls on the police and fire scanner about an oven smoking because someone forgot to set the timer or a stovetop catching fire due to an unattended pot.

Thankfully, most of these don’t turn out to be serious, but they could have the potential for far worse outcomes. Through care and prevention, most home fires can be avoided.

The Red Cross has teamed with the Butler Bureau of Fire for the Sound the Alarm program, which brings smoke alarms to homes and provides fire prevention education. Volunteers can sign up for the program and will be trained to install the alarms and relay fire prevention information.

Those interested can contact the Red Cross to request a new alarm, and volunteers will be going door to door asking if anyone would like one installed or checked.

“We want everyone to be safe,” said Nicole Roschella, regional communications director for American Red Cross. “If you need help checking (your alarm), our volunteers will go in, check it for you. If you need a new one, we'll install it.”

Take advantage of the program. To volunteer to install fire alarms Oct. 28, or to schedule an installation, call the Red Cross at 724-480-3170.

Roschella stressed the importance of Sound the Alarm.

“You see the direct impact of your work,” Roschella said. “At the end of the day, you could save a family's life.”

We couldn’t agree more.

— JGG