For Heather Fenner, the smell of smoke was the only warning she had.

In the early morning hours of September 2025, Heather was asleep on her couch when she woke up around 3 a.m. to the smell of smoke. Deaf since birth, she could not hear the fire alarm sounding in her apartment building. 

"If I hadn't woken up, I would have died because I'm not able to hear it," Heather said.

As flames spread through the complex, she quickly rushed to save her 12 year old son and her pets before escaping the building. The fire destroyed her apartment and many of her belongings, leaving Heather and her son displaced. The American Red Cross provided emergency assistance in the aftermath, helping the family begin the difficult process of starting over. 

But even after moving into a new apartment, the trauma still remained.

According to her father, Steve Schneider, Heather struggled to sleep, fearful that another fire could occur while she was unaware. 

"She couldn’t sleep for days,” he said. "She hasn't gone inside her bedroom since."

Three weeks later, two Red Cross volunteers who had responded to the fire returned with a solution: a free bed shaker alarm system designed specifically for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. 

The device includes a smoke alarm with a built-in voice alert and a small vibrating unit placed beneath a mattress. If smoke is detected, the alarm activates a powerful vibration designed to wake the person sleeping in the bed. The volunteers also installed strobe lights in her living room to provide an additional visual warning.

After reviewing home fire safety information and creating an escape plan with Heather, the volunteers tested the device. 

As the bed shaker began to vibrate, tears filled Heather's eyes.

"This is amazing," she said. "I needed this." 

For the first time since the fire, Heather felt safe enough to return to sleeping in her bedroom.

"Now I can actually sleep in my own bed at night because I'll feel so much safer," she shared. 

Stories like Heather's are why Red Cross volunteers continue to provide specialized smoke alarm equipment throughout communities across the country. Last year, the Red Cross installed 267,100 free smoke alarms — 3,016 of those were bed shaker alarms.

John, an Oregon resident and former U.S. Forest Service forester, understands that peace of mind as well. After experiencing a wildfire evacuation near his home a few years ago, his family worried that his hearing loss could prevent him from hearing a smoke alarm during an emergency. 

Red Cross volunteers, Henry Bodkin and Holland Golec, installed a free bed shaker alarm in his home and tested the device.

"He was so impressed. He could really feel it," said volunteer Golec. "It was one of the best smoke alarm visits I ever had." 

For volunteers, the impact goes beyond installing equipment. It means helping families feel safer and at peace knowing they have a reliable warning system when every second counts.

Home fires remain one of the most common disasters responded to by the Red Cross. Last year alone, the Red Cross responded to 56,152 home fires, assisting more than 215,000 people across the U.S.

Through free smoke alarm installations, fire safety education, and specialized bed shaker alarms for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, the Red Cross is working to ensure every family has access to the tools they need to stay safe. Since the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign started in 2014, 2,690 lives have been saved. Learn more here.