COVINGTON, Ga. – Volunteers from the American Red Cross teamed with City of Covington firefighters and local citizens Saturday to make some Newton County homes safer in the event of a fire.

Over 85 volunteers broke up into teams and took to the streets Sept. 29 for the “Smoke Alarm Blitz.” The teams installed 343 smoke alarms in homes in Covington and Porterdale.  

Volunteers also talked with residents about establishing fire escape plans for their families.

According to Ashley Henyan, communications manager for the Red Cross Georgia Region, seven people die in home fires in the U.S. every day. She said that children and the elderly make up a disproportionate number of those deaths.

“We’re working hard to reduce fire-related deaths,” Henyan said, “A working smoke detector can help with that.”

Henyan said the Red Cross has documented that 472 lives have been saved since 2014 based on the work of volunteers installing smoke detectors.

She said the Red Cross’ “Sound the Alarm” campaign hopes to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries by 25 percent by 2020.

Residents interested in obtaining a smoke alarm or having one installed should contact their local fire department.