INDIANAPOLIS — The American Red Cross is pushing its "Sound the Alarm" campaign as it works to spread fire safety awareness.
According to the organization, home fires are the number one disaster that it responds to every day.
Red Cross workers often provide financial assistance and other services to help with immediate needs, including:
- Emergency lodging: Securing hotel rooms to get families through those first days.
- Financial assistance: For immediate essentials like food, clothing, and toiletries, Red Cross provides an average of $605 in financial assistance to each family.
- Long-term support: Help families navigate insurance paperwork, replace lost possessions and more.
According to the Red Cross, cooking is the number one cause of home fires, followed by electrical issues and smoking.
Here are some of the assistance statistics Red Cross is providing on a state and local level:
The State of Indiana:
- Home fires – 1,945
- Average assistance per household – $670.00
- Number of individuals assisted at home fires – 7,238
- Total assistance financial support - $1,727,080.00
- Smoke alarms installed – 2,734
Greater Indianapolis:
- Home fires – 336
- Average assistance per household – $650.00
- Number of individuals assisted at home fires – 1,544
- Total assistance financial support - $350,940
- Smoke alarms installed – 378
For more information on the Red Cross' Home Fire Campaign, click here.