Keeping the momentum going after a successful Rosemead Home Fire Campaign
By Jarrett Barrios
By now you’ve probably heard about our Home Fire Campaigns. Since October 2014, we’ve been going door-to-door, canvasing Southern California communities to reach our national goals of reducing home fire deaths and injuries by 25%. Last year we installed over 8,100 smoke alarms here in the Los Angeles Region, and we have no intention of stopping! This year our goal is to install 10,000 more smoke alarms in homes throughout the region, and thanks to our amazing volunteers, I know we can accomplish this and more.
On September 24, 2016 we made our third stop of the year, in Rosemead. And although we’ve been doing this for quite a while, the experience was anything but old hat. After just the first few installations, I couldn’t help but smile. Every time our grass-roots effort sets up shop in a new community, new people are helped, and more lives are saved.
Working with local fire departments and community officials is always great. I love getting out in the community and meeting new people! This time, we were fortunate enough to have Congresswoman Judy Chu and Assemblyman Ed Chau join in our concerted efforts. My favorite thing about this campaign however, are the in-escapable contagious effects caused by people helping other people. After we install safe and working smoke alarms in a home we always ask the family to introduce us to their neighbors, because most likely, they are in the same boat and could use our help too. That’s simply the best part! Not only are we making homes safer and better prepared for home fires, we are also educating the community. Every person we meet can go back and share with their loved ones everything they’ve learned! After each new installation, when it’s time to leave, I know it won’t be long until that entire community is safer and better prepared.
None of what we do could be possible without the help of our amazing volunteers, the support of dedicated community officials, and contributions from committed sponsors like Southern California Edison. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone that comes out to pay it forward at our home fire campaigns! You all are saving lives!
