Some Quad Cities residents are learning that the difference between life and death during a house fire could be preparation. This week, American Red Cross volunteers began installing smoke alarms in homes in East Moline.
It's part of a national campaign to reduce injuries and deaths from house fires. Local spokeswoman, Brooke Mehaffey, says the goal is to encourage residents to take simple steps before a fire, like installing smoke alarms and checking them.
"People get them up there. They see them, and then they don't think about them again, so you really just want to make sure they're working, and that they're active and that they have fresh batteries."
According to the Red Cross, smoke alarms reduce the chance of injuries and deaths by half.
Mehaffey says having an emergency plan helps, too. There's a common misperception that people have more than two minutes to save themselves.
"They feel like they have at least five minutes, or that they have more time than that, so that's where the practicing comes in; practice so that you can make sure you can get out of there in two minutes, and you know exactly what you're going to do without thinking."
The Red Cross plans to continue its campaign for the next five years.
The organization responds to 70,000 disasters every year. Mehaffey says the majority are house fires.
