The Service Learning Council at Southwestern College is teaming with the American Red Cross and the Winfield Fire Department for “Sound the Alarm,” the council’s seventh annual Homecoming service project. The Service Learning Council is made up of Discipleship, Leadership, and Green Team directors and students.
               
The groups hope to install 700 smoke alarms in the Winfield community on Sunday, Oct. 22, between 1 and 5 p.m. The event will include the volunteers from the Red Cross (which serves south central and southeast Kansas), Southwestern, and the local fire department. In addition to installing the alarms, the volunteers will be canvassing neighborhood and helping families create fire escape plans. The event is part of the Red Cross’s Fire Prevention Campaign.

Community residents can ensure they receive a free smoke alarm by calling 211, or online at www.getasmokealarm.org. In addition, forms have been handed out to students at every Winfield USD 465 school to inform parents of the event.

“The majority of students from our athletic teams, service learning teams, and student organizations have participated in the past and we expect that same level of participation this year,” says Molly Just, director of Discipleship at Southwestern. “October is fire prevention month and our student body has set a goal of installing 700 fire alarms in the Winfield community. Many homes have outdated alarms and need new ones, along with a fire escape plan. 

“Our students will be trained by the Red Cross to check and install alarms properly and talk with households about establishing a fire escape plan. If we reach our goal of 700 alarms installed, Winfield will hold the record in Kansas and Nebraska for the most fire alarms installed at one time in a community.”
Jennifer Sanders, Red Cross executive director, is part of the planning group. 

“Over the last 12 months, the Red Cross serving south central and southeast Kansas has responded to 295 home fires,” Sanders points out. “In fact, home fires are the biggest disaster threat our community faces, killing seven people in this country every day. As of September 2017, the Red Cross and our partners across the country have saved at least 268 lives, reached 894,000 children through youth preparedness programs, and installed 964,000 free smoke alarms.”

Joshua Dobbs, lieutenant and paramedic for the Winfield Fire Department, says emergency responders are looking forward to the event. 

“Winfield Fire and EMS is excited to partner with Southwestern College and the American Red Cross to provide and install smoke alarms to the members of the Winfield community,” Dobbs says. “The selection of this project by Southwestern College to serve as their annual service learning project shows that Southwestern College and the American Red Cross have a sincere interest in increasing the quality of life for Winfield Residents.”

“This project would not be capable without the partnership of these great institutions and organizations,” Dobbs says. “This project further increases the pride that I have to live and work in such a great community.”

For more information, contact Just at (620) 229-6362.