The American Red Cross North Texas Region marked a milestone on October 3, 2023. The region celebrated the installation of its 50,000th smoke alarm at the home of Lesia Baker during a Sound the Alarm event in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas.

Partnering with Dallas Fire-Rescue, the City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management and other community organizations, Red Cross volunteers installed the ceremonial smoke alarm in Baker’s home, where she proudly showed off her new alarm. She expressed gratitude for the alarm and her desire to be a leader in her community by helping to make homes safer.

“I thank you all for coming to install because even though I have some [smoke alarms], they need to be changed out,” Baker said. “It is just a blessing that you were able to come today to place the alarm systems because my life, your life and all lives matter.”

More than 1,000 door hangers were distributed by about 30 volunteers across the Oak Cliff community with the goal of helping make 500 Oak Cliff homes safer by the end of October. Alarms are installed in critical areas to ensure they are heard. There are also alarms available for those who are hearing impaired.

The installation of the smoke alarm in Baker’s home was even more significant as Oak Cliff and much of southern Dallas are at higher risk of home fires than other parts of the city. Last year, two-thirds of Red Cross’ home fire responses in Dallas happened in southern Dallas.

“In 2022, we responded to more than 180 home fires in the City of Dallas,” said Linda Braddy, the CEO of the Red Cross North Texas Region. “More than 120 of those occurred south of I-30.” 

By installing smoke alarms in Oak Cliff and other neighborhoods south of Interstate 30, which bisects Dallas, the Red Cross is helping southern Dallas communities become safer and more resilient against home fires.

Sound the Alarm is part of the National Red Cross Home Fire campaign. Since the creation of the campaign in 2014, smoke alarms installed by the Red Cross volunteers and partners have helped save at least 1,969 lives nationwide, including 22 lives in the North Texas Region.

Locally, the Red Cross has installed more than 14,450 free smoke alarms and made more than 6,800 households safer in the DFW Metro East Chapter, which encompasses Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Grayson, Kaufman, Navarro and Rockwall counties.

By donating to the Red Cross at redcross.org/donate, you can help people prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires.