"Sound The Alarm" provides education and smoke detectors for Pittsburgh residents
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Having a smoke alarm can be the difference between life and death in the event of a fire. Statistics show Pennsylvania usually leads the country in deadly house fires. Unfortunately, in many cases, it's because people didn't have working smoke detectors, but local organizations are trying to change that.
A team of volunteers from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, the American Red Cross, and local companies showed up to Rebecca Wojsovich's house in Bon Air.
As a part of a "Sound the Alarm" event, they're one of many teams that got training and education before visiting various neighborhoods, including Carrick, Knoxville, and Brighton Heights, where families recently experienced a lot of fires, some fatal, to either install or replace smoke detectors for free for those in need of help.
Wojsovich had been having trouble with her devices.
"They were lying on my table. They kept blinking, I changed the batteries, and they still continued to do the same thing, and so I knew I needed them," Wojsovich said.
She doesn't know what she would have done without this program, and she worries for her grandchildren, who stay over all the time.
"If there was a fire in my house, I want him to be safe. I want to be safe," Wojsovich said.
Nicole Roschella with the Red Cross said that's what it's all about.
"Seven people die in home fires across the country every single day, but we know that having a smoke alarm can cut your risk of dying in a home fire in half," Roschella said.
Now Wojsovich urges others to check in on their alarms as well.
"It's nice. I'm glad. I'm very thankful," Wojsovich said.
If you're in need of a smoke alarm, the Red Cross installs them for free year-round.