Summerville, SC (June 27, 2016) – Choate Construction Company teamed with the American Red Cross in a Smoke Alarm Blitz, visiting homes as part of the Home Fire Safety Campaign.

Saturday’s Smoke Alarm Blitz consisted of American Red Cross Volunteers, local firefighters, and Choate team members, visiting over 70 homes in the Robynwyn neighborhood in Summerville, installing over 200 free smoke alarms and arming residents with safety and home-fire prevention information.

These combined teams and community partners went door-to-door, meeting with families to test their existing smoke-alarms, install new alarms, and helped them to create a home fire escape plan. A recent Red Cross survey showed that 65 percent of respondents mistakenly believe that they have at least five minutes to escape a burning home – more than twice as long as they really have. Most parents (64 percent) believe their children would know what to do or how to escape with little help, but they haven’t taken key steps to keep their loved ones safe.

In attempts to combat this statistic, educational materials were provided and discussed with families, focusing on the importance of having everyone in the household know what to do in the event of a fire. “We are able to help protect families in our community from home fires thanks to the support of our Home Fire Campaign partners and our volunteers,” said John McCombs, Home Fire Preparedness Campaign local lead.

“By educating families on home fire safety and installing free smoke alarms we are saving lives and building more resilient communities.”

Choate Construction Company is passionate about safety and sought this local opportunity as another way to provide awareness and promote safety as a priority to everyone within reach of the Charleston Division. Choate’s OneLife identity is a branded status within the company to positively engage everyone that it encounters and challenge them to make safe decisions for their life, their family, and their legacy.

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Home Fire Campaign in South Carolina
The American Red Cross, along with its partners, including the South Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal, the South Carolina Firefighters Association, local fire departments, and community and corporate partners, is working to save lives, reduce injuries, and preserve property through the Home Fire Campaign. Together, they will be keeping families safe across South Carolina by installing 50,000 smoke alarms and teaching people how to lessen their chances of suffering from a home fire.

American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/SC or follow us on Twitter @RedCrossSC.