Media Contact: Pooja Klebig
Telephone: 669.209.5266
NCCRPublicAffairs@redcross.org\
Sign up to volunteer and request a free smoke alarm installation at SoundTheAlarm.org/NCCR
SAN FRANCISCO (April 1, 2024) — Volunteers are needed to help install more than 1,200 free smoke alarms for local families across the Bay Area, where home fires remain the most frequent disaster.
The American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region is leading the Sound the Alarm smoke alarm installation and home fire safety events as part of a national Red Cross initiative in April to install 50,000 free smoke alarms with partners in more than 50 at-risk communities across the country.
Register online at SoundTheAlarm.org/NCCR to volunteer for any of these Sound the Alarm events taking place across the region:
No prior experience is needed. Training will be provided before volunteer teams, with members of the Red Cross, visit area homes with scheduled appointments.
Because of generous donations, all services are free and available for people in need. Can’t join the event? Help by donating to the Red Cross at SoundTheAlarm.org to help people prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires — which account for most of the U.S. disasters that the Red Cross responds to every eight minutes.
This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from our 2024 national partners, State Farm and FEMA and our regional partners, Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Arista Networks; CSAA Insurance Group and Gloria and Mike Ipson.
DO YOU NEED A SMOKE ALARM? Local residents who need a smoke alarm can visit SoundTheAlarm.org/NCCR to schedule an appointment for a free smoke alarm installation during one of the region’s Red Cross Sound the Alarm events. During short home visits, Red Cross volunteers and partners will also share information on the causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan.
2,063 LIVES SAVED AND COUNTING Sound the Alarm smoke alarm installation events are a critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign which aims to reduce the number of deaths from home fires. The Home Fire Campaign has helped save 2,063 lives since its launch in October 2014 due to working smoke alarms in homes. Nationwide, volunteers and local fire departments visit neighborhoods to install free smoke alarms and share home fire prevention information with residents, including home fire escape plans. Here in the Northern California Coastal Region, volunteers and partners have installed more than 48,500 free smoke alarms and made more than 18,000 households safer since 2014.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
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