Yuma, Arizona - On Saturday October 8, 2016, from 8 am until noon, a multi-agency effort took place in northwest Yuma to improve life safety. Organized by the American Red Cross, 9 teams of volunteers, and Fire personnel, spread out from the Wal-Mart parking lot at 8th Street and Avenue B to go door to door offering to check the condition of existing smoke alarms, replacing batteries and old non-functional alarms, and providing information about fire prevention.

Those going door to door included local Red Cross and Yuma County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers, as well as personnel from the Yuma Fire Department and Rural Metro Fire Department. In all there were 83 homes (in both the City and County) visited and 182 smoke alarms installed. There was no charge for the alarms (supplied by the Red Cross) or for the installation.

In addition to the American Red Cross, sponsors supporting this event included Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Buffalo Wild Wings, Lin’s Grand Buffet, and RAM Pest Management.

This week is Fire Prevention Week. The national theme this year is “Don’t Wait-Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years”. So, be sure to check the manufacture dates of your alarms and replace them if they are over 10 years old. Smoke alarms are some of the cheapest insurance you can buy when it comes to protecting the lives of your family members.