COLUMBUS, Ohio – An effort by the American Red Cross and Columbia Gas to get more Ohioans ready for fires, floods and other emergencies kicked off in Columbus on Thursday.
Red Cross volunteers, AEP Foundation and Columbia Gas employees and Columbus firefighters to help install smoke alarms and deliver preparedness materials in a West Side neighborhood.
The two-year initiative seeks to prepare a half million Ohio residents by making emergency plans, building kits or getting trained ahead of disasters.
According to the state fire marshal’s office, fires killed 15 children in Ohio last year and have claimed at least 11 young lives in just the first two months of 2015.