Sound the Alarm to Save Lives: A Campaign to End Home Fires

Did you know home fires are the most common disaster in this country?

Home fires are the most common disaster in this country and are so dangerous that they claim more lives in a typical year than all natural disasters combined. Tragically, seven lives are lost each day in the U.S. to home fires. To help end fire tragedies and save lives, we launched our Home Fire Campaign in 2014.

Providing Fire Safety Information in Local Communities

Red Cross volunteers will fan out across communities nationwide this May to Sound the Alarm and make homes safer from home fires. During these events, Red Cross volunteers will canvass high-risk neighborhoods, install free smoke alarms, provide home fire safety tips and help families create home fire escape plans that get every household member out in two minutes or less. Together with fire departments and other community partners, our volunteers have installed more than two million smoke alarms in homes, and that number continues to climb.

Installing 1,200 Smoke Alarms in 22 days

Across the Central California Region, more than 1,200 smoke alarms are set to be installed at six community events in Porterville, Lompoc, Selma, Delano, Madera and Oxnard from April 30 to May 21. Nationally, 50,000 smoke alarms will be placed in homes throughout the Sound the Alarm campaign.

Join Us Today

Join us to help save more lives from home fires. Volunteer in your local community to help Sound the Alarm, make a financial contribution, or take steps to protect your loved ones today. Learn more here.

To help make your home safer from home fires:

Every second counts when there’s a home fire. To help protect your household, test your smoke alarms each month and practice your escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes.

1. Test your smoke alarms monthly. Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fireby half. Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, and inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Change the batteries at least once a year, if your model requires it. Also, check the manufacturer’s date of your smoke alarms. If they’re 10 years or older, they need to be replaced because the sensor becomes less sensitive over time. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Practice your escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes. To create your home fire escape plan, include at least two ways to exit every room in your home. Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows to meet. Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like. Talk about fire safety and what to do in an emergency.

A Special Thanks to Our Regional Partners

This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners: Bank of the Sierra, Bitwise, Coarsegold Market, North Fork Supermarket, PennyMac and The Wonderful Company.