SALT LAKE CITY -- The American Red Cross is working to prevent injury and death by making sure residents are equipped with smoke alarms in working order.
Volunteers went door-to-door Saturday in the Salt Lake Valley, speaking with residents about the need to check their alarms and make sure they are up to date and have fresh batteries. The volunteers also gave out free smoke alarms to those who didn't have any.
Experts urge Utahns to check their smoke alarms twice a year, and they also encourage households to take that time to discuss an escape route and meeting place ahead of time so everyone knows where to go in the case of a fire. They said a good way to remember is "Turn and Test", which means checking your smoke alarms when you turn your clocks forward or back for Daylight Savings Time.
While keeping up on smoke alarms may seem obvious, volunteers said between 50 and 75 percent of the homes they visited had at least one alarm that was not working or was not working correctly.
