LULING — United Way of St. Charles held a Day of Action April 11 to distribute smoke alarms and fire safety literature to residents in St. Charles Parish.

The Day of Action was in partnership with the Red Cross of Southeast Louisiana as well as the Norco and Paradis Volunteer Fire Departments.

Over 30 volunteers from across the parish canvassed the Paradis and Norco communities to educate residents on fire safety and ensure they had at least one working smoke detector in their home.

With the assistance of the volunteer fire fighters, over 25 smoke alarms were installed.

“I would like to thank United Way and Red Cross for partnering with us (April 11) to hand out and hang up smoke detectors in Norco homes. It was a great success,” Norco Area Volunteer Fire Department Captain Andre A. Garcia said.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without working smoke alarms. The risk of a home fire death is halved where a smoke alarm works.

“On top of assisting residents with fire safety, we were also able to develop a much closer partnership with the Paradis and Norco Volunteer Fire Departments,” Red Cross Disaster Program Manager Melanie Cole said. “We left extra smoke alarms with both stations to be distributed as needed in the Norco, Montz and Paradis communities.”

In addition to distributing the smoke detectors, United Way volunteers provided educational fire safety materials and door-hangers, including how to practice a fire drill at home, to over 100 households.

“Though we call it a Day of Action, the impact on our community is much larger than just one day,” United Way Executive Director John Dias said. “The smoke alarms installed will be a lasting part of the residents’ homes and possibly even save a life. Programs like this are part of United Way’s vision to proactively address the needs of our community.”