Naval Station Everett (NSE) Sailors and local community volunteers participated in an American Red Cross home fire campaign at the Port Susan campgrounds in Tulalip, Washington, Oct. 22.

More than 20 Sailors helped install smoke alarms, and provided fire safety information for 190 different sites in Tulalip.

"The Navy played a very critical role for us," said Bill R. Burns, American Red Cross disaster programs specialist. "They helped do installations, they headed up teams that went out to different areas within the site, installed smoke alarms, and assisted us in that capacity."

The installation was part of a national effort to ensure members of various communities are up to date with fire readiness.

"Our goal is to reduce the amount of injuries, or deaths, associated by fire by 25 percent across the nation," said Burns. "We're doing that by going out to different facilities, whether they're low income or senior facilities, and installing smoke alarms for free because we all know smoke alarms save lives."

According to the American Red Cross, seven people die every day from a home fire, while 36 suffer serious fire-related injuries.

Sailors and volunteers not only installed smoke detectors, said Olivia Burley, service to the armed forces coordinator for the American Red Cross, NSE.

"It's not just when the batteries die; 10 years is the life of a smoke detector and most people don't recognize that the smoke detector itself is defective, and that's why a lot of lives are lost during fires," Burley said.

Volunteers checked the age of existing smoke detectors, replaced batteries in functional detectors, and installed new ones. They also inspected homes for obvious fire hazards and worked with families to write an evacuation plan in the event of a fire.

"It's one of our big priorities, and getting the military out here to engage [the community] is big for providing the volunteer staff for the event," said Burley. "It's also big because the Red Cross has a strong relationship to serve the military, and the more we interact with the military community, the more they realize the service we can provide them when they need us."

The Snohomish County Red Cross Chapter sent out information to various communities that are at higher risk, including elderly and mobile home communities. The Port Susan installation was the largest taking place during the statewide push.

"We're giving back to the community," said Chief Petty Officer LaHaunn Moore, from Tennessee, stationed with NSE Chaplain's Office. "That's what we do; we serve. I think the Navy and the American Red Cross made some huge strides in people's lives today. I think they got to know our presence is here, that we care, and that Sailors in the northwest care about their well-being."

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Navy Public Affairs Support Element, visit http://www.navy.mil/.