Since January of this year, 18 people have died in house fires in Wisconsin.
That number includes a fatal fire this week in Beecher, where the remains of an 82-year-old woman were discovered inside her home after firefighters extinguished the flames.
Organizers with the American Red Cross say the elderly and low income population is particularly vulnerable to fatal house fires for a number of reasons.
But arguably the easiest way to keep people alive, say safety experts, is with working smoke detectors.
This Saturday, the American Red Cross of Northeast Wisconsin will be bringing 1,000 free smoke detectors to Brown County, with the intention of getting them inside homes that need them.
They'll also install it, with the goal of leaving no family in need unaided.
When Paul Hajny heard the smoke alarm sounding in his hallway apartment one winter night, he and his roommates didn't think much of it.
"Then I started to smell something," says Hajny, recalling the night.
Hajny says he went to the front door, and upon opening it, "smoke starts to pour in the room. I started coughing," adds Hajny.
Within minutes Hajny, his roommate, and then fiancé were outside with one bag and a cat, cold but alive.
"Pretty much everything was destroyed by smoke or water," says Hajny. "Thankfully, no injuries. All the animals got out, thankfully."
Hajny says he owes his life to a working smoke alarm. But safety experts say too many homes just don't have them.
"People only have 2 minutes to get out of their home once they hear that smoke alarm go off," says disaster program manager Nick Cluppert, of the American Red Cross of Northeast Wisconsin. "If they don't have that smoke alarm, they're going to have less of a warning, or maybe not get that warning at all before it's too late."
To change that the American Red Cross of Northeast Wisconsin is providing and installing 1,000 free smoke alarms to Brown County neighbors in need, with focus on elderly, and low income homes.
"Currently we have almost 200 people pre-registered for our event in Brown County," adds Cluppert.
As for Hajny, he now has alarms in every room of his new home.
"Every single one," laughs Hajny, "and fire extinguishers."
Red Cross spokespeople say the smoke alarm donations are part of a 5-year campaign to reduce home fire injuries, and deaths by 25%
Organizers say this Saturday's smoke alarm outreach, and installation, campaign will be the largest in Wisconsin to date.
What: Red cross volunteers installing smoke alarms throughout brown county.
When: 8:00a.M. Kick-off rally includes training, team photos and resources.
Where: Ashwaubenon High School, 2391 South Ridge Road, Green Bay, WI 54304
Why: Working smoke alarms improve chances of surviving a home fire by 50 percent.
In addition to reaching out to neighborhoods to install smoke alarms, the Red Cross also is asking every household in America to take the two simple steps that can save lives:
Ensure you have working smoke alarms - install at least one smoke alarm on each level of your home, especially outside bedrooms. If you have smoke alarms, test them regularly to ensure they work and replace the batteries twice annually.
Have and practice a home escape plan - make sure every member of your household knows two routes out of your home and where to meet up in case of an emergency.
Make sure they know they have less than 2 minutes to escape safely, and practice your plan so you can escape in that little time.
For more information about the home fire campaign, visit www.Redcross.Org/browncounty or contact Lee Borofka, volunteer coordinator at lee.Borofka@redcross.org or 920-227-4286.
