Dec. 25, 2023

Uponor Partners with American Red Cross for Sound the Alarm Event

by Alex Gross

Uponor, a leading provider of plumbing and hydronic heating and cooling systems, recently partnered with the American Red Cross for their Sound the Alarm volunteering event. Sound the Alarm rallies volunteers from communities around the United States to install smoke alarms in at-risk households. 

The importance of smoke alarms 

Every day, seven people die from home fires, most often in homes without working smoke alarms. Because of this critical need, the American Red Cross created the Sound the Alarm event in 2014. Since then, they have installed more than 2.5 million free smoke alarms in more than 1 million homes. More than 1,969 lives have been saved because of these preventative efforts. 

The Blue Crew in action 

Uponor Blue Crew volunteers installed smoke alarms in St. Paul, Minn., close to the company’s North American Headquarters in Apple Valley. Volunteers played a vital role in ensuring the safety of local homes by testing existing smoke alarms, installing free smoke alarms where needed, and sharing safety information with neighbors. 

A strong commitment to community engagement 

Uponor North America offers Volunteer Time Off (VTO), where employees are paid to give back to their community. Each employee is awarded 24 hours of VTO annually, which they can contribute to an organization of their choice. Additionally, Uponor hosts a variety of events for employees to participate in annually to allow the Blue Crew to engage in teamwork and build connections outside the office. 

Making a difference in local communities 

The Sound the Alarm event had a great turnout, filled with volunteers who were empowered by the work that the American Red Cross does in local communities. The American Red Cross is often thought of as only doing natural disaster work and blood donations, but they offer so much more. They provide many opportunities for community members to make a difference, like Sound the Alarm. 

Sharing mission moments 

"Sound the Alarm serves communities throughout all of Minnesota," said Troy Amaris, Board Member of the American Red Cross. He recalled knocking on the door of one home, and a large family answered the door. "They were hosting a quinceañera, and family members filled the house," he said. "We were wearing our Red Cross garb, but they were skeptical to let us in. After some negotiation, they agreed. This family was in a rental unit, there were five capabilities for smoke alarms in the home, but none of the walls had smoke alarms installed." The Red Cross was able to install five smoke alarms in that home. Troy described the rewarding feeling he experienced knowing that safety was now at the center of a place five children called home. 

The unspoken impact of the Red Cross 

"The Red Cross emphasizes mission moments, which are moments when an individual can recall a personal experience with the Red Cross. If you do not have one, they encourage you to explore different ways to create your mission moment," said Laura Garves, Development Coordinator for the American Red Cross. "For a while, I could not recall my own mission moment, so I participated in learning about single-family fires with the Disaster Action Response Team, as well as the support the Red Cross offers to home fire victims. I also participated in blood drives," said Garves. Suddenly, her mission moment occurred to her. It happened in her childhood. Her mom was Red Cross CPR certified and saved her life when she choked on a piece of candy. She emphasized that the Red Cross touches the community in unspoken ways that are pivotal to the safety and well-being of everyone. 

A commitment to doing good 

Events like Sound the Alarm emphasize Uponor's commitment to doing good in the community at large. While the company’s scope of business focuses on providing quality plumbing and energy-efficient heating and cooling solutions, they believe in leveraging community partnerships like the American Red Cross to better the lives of those around them. Additionally, Uponor offers programs like VTO to ensure everyone on the Blue Crew can be involved in making change. Uponor holds their values to connect, build, and inspire close to heart.