Red Cross starts multi-year fire safety campaign

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The Red Cross is starting a nationwide fire safety campaign to reduce fire deaths and injuries 25 percent in five years.

The effort in South Carolina gets underway on Saturday as Red Cross volunteers join the North Charleston Fire Department in installing smoke detectors in city neighborhoods.

Louise Welch Williams, the CEO of the Palmetto South Carolina Region of the Red Cross says installing smoke alarms in homes can cut the risk of dying in a fire by half. In the event of a fire, people usually have only two minutes to get out.

The Palmetto South Carolina Region of the Red Cross includes chapters in North Charleston, Aiken, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Florence, Sumter and Rock Hill.