by Aileen Blomdal
The American Red Cross responds to home fires more than any other disaster nationwide, so home fire prevention is something we take seriously. For that reason, Red Cross members, along with local fire departments and community partners, to install 1,357 free smoke alarms in 502 homes, making 1,472 residents safer from homes fires during our 2025 Sound the Alarm campaign. From April 26 – May 23, communities in Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Merced, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties were made safer thanks to free smoke alarms and home fire prevention education.
Sound the Alarm 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 2,320 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 55,300 free smoke alarms and made more than 20,000 households safer since 2014, saving 32 lives reported in the Greater Bay Area.
“We are grateful to everyone who supported this year’s Sound the Alarm Signature Period to help keep over a thousand of our neighbors safe from home fires,” said John Ruiz, Regional Disaster Officer. “Home fires are a constant threat in our community, accounting for most of our disaster responses. Our efforts will make a lasting difference to help save lives and protect those who are most vulnerable.”
“Home fires are a constant threat in our community, accounting for most of our disaster responses. Our efforts will make a lasting difference to help save lives and protect those who are most vulnerable.”
John Ruiz, Regional Disaster Officer
For a full suite of photos from the regional events during the month of April, view this Sound the Alarm album.
After four successful smoke installation events in April across the Bay Area Chapter, Red Cross volunteers and partners installed 745 smokes alarms, making 256 homes safer. Over 651 residents of San Mateo, Pittsburg, Fremont and San Francisco have their homes protected against home fires now thanks to Red Cross.
“Home fires can strike without warning, and the consequences can be devastating,” said Deputy Chief Eric Mackintosh of San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department. “Having working smoke alarms in place can make all the difference, giving families precious seconds to escape safely. We’re honored to team up with the American Red Cross to help protect our community through this lifesaving effort.”
A successful Sound the Alarm event saw 234 free smoke alarms installed in Hollister on April 26. Red Crossers provided safety information to 356 residents and made 71 homes safer.
“I’m proud of our amazing team of Red Crossers. Their dedication, along with the fire and earthquake preparedness education they’ve shared, has made a meaningful difference in our community’s safety,” said Michele Averill, Red Cross Central Coast Chapter CEO.
Twenty-eight homes were made safer at our Sound the Alarm event in the Heart of the Valley Chapter, where Red Cross volunteers and partners installed 99 free smoke alarms for 139 residents in Merced.
“[Sound the Alarm] empowers us to drive meaningful change and strengthen the communities that we serve,” said Felicia Woolfolk, Red Cross Heart of the Valley Chapter CEO.
Sixty-two homes were made safer in the North Bay Chapter after the Sound the Alarm event in Vallejo. Red Cross volunteers installed a total of 147 free smoke alarms and educated 182 residents about home fire prevention.
“Sound the Alarm event gives us the opportunity to make a positive impact in our own communities,” said Vincent Valenzuela, Red Cross North Bay Chapter CEO. “We provide more than just smoke alarms; we ensure that families are equipped with the necessary tools to protect themselves and their loved ones against home fires.”
Red Cross volunteers, community partners and donors collaborated at Silicon Valley’s Sound the Alarm event to install 55 free smoke alarms, making 44 homes safer and providing home fire prevention education to 65 Morgan Hill residents.
“What you’re all doing is amazing,” said Morgan Hill resident, Renée Ladd, “We lost our home years ago in Arkansas to an electrical panel fire. Luckily, no one was home.” She welcomed the opportunity for a free smoke alarm installation and preparedness information by Red Crossers and a crew from CarMax.
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