The LSU Red Cross Club hosted its second annual Sound the Alarm to spread fire safety awareness within the Baton Rouge community.
On Nov. 16, the club and volunteers teamed up at Capitol High School to change fire alarms in homes, free of charge. With their red smocks and a goal to find the “ugliest fire alarm,” students set out on an assigned route to make their mark on 60 homes in just one day.
“We do this once a semester to try and save lives and teach fire safety,” Mihir Babbar, co-president of the Red Cross Club, said. “We did the same thing last year in a neighborhood called The Bottom. They had an actual fire fatality there, and the house didn’t have smoke alarms.”
Red Cross volunteer Caroline Golden said many students who participated in the first Sound the Alarm event returned this year. This way, the club can have more and more volunteers each year, and each one could potentially save a life.
“They come back because it feels good,” Golden said. “Your alarm might save someone’s life one day.”
Fueled with snacks and high spirits, students were ready to make an impact and talk to community members. The Red Cross Club chooses neighborhoods that are in need and are at a high risk of fires.
“In the long run, this will help save peoples lives and really protect what people have to make sure they’re safe,” Alexandra Lowery, student volunteer with the Red Cross Club said.
Corrine David, Red Cross Club co-president, wanted to start the club to increase volunteer opportunities for students at LSU. David herself needed volunteer hours, and during her research, she realized that the Red Cross did not have a club at LSU. Babbar and her then decided to start one of their own to make sure LSU can have an impact on the community.
“Even if you’re just wanting to help others, the stuff we do at this event specifically and the stuff we do at the warehouse, everything shows an impact on the community even if it’s through disaster relief,” David said.
Sound the Alarm is the Red Cross Club’s favorite event of the school year. Babbar loves to see what student volunteers take away from the day. He says it’s amazing to see people experience the true power of volunteering.
“They’re actually saving lives, they’re actually educating those around them,” Babbar said. “Just having that one on one experience, and that instant gratification of, ‘wow, I just helped save a life today.’ That’s what I love about it. All the planning that goes into it is tough, but the product is just priceless.”
Aside from providing new ways for students to serve the Baton Rouge community, the Red Cross Club hopes to make a lasting impact by saving lives and spreading fire safety.
By the end of the day, volunteers had installed a total of 120 fire alarms in 60 homes. Now equipped with fire alarms and safety plans, the LSU Red Cross Club helped ensure 165 residents were safer in their Baton Rouge homes.
“It’s something in Louisiana that we think we don’t have, but fires are a big majority of deaths in the Baton Rouge area,” Babbar said. “To be able to go out and just teach people and give them a plan, it’s something people don’t think about until it’s happening.”
For more information on how you can get involved, make sure to follow @lsuredcrossclub on instagram.