By: Jocelyn Hillard, American Red Cross

In March, Drupatti Phulbas and her family were enjoying a quiet Sunday at home in Hartford’s Parkville neighborhood. She was cooking when suddenly they heard a loud beeping sound. The smoke alarm on the third floor was going off. Drupatti and her children ran up the steps, saw smoke, and knew they had to act fast.

“I heard the sound and said, ‘Call 9-1-1,’” she recalled.

The smoke alarm gave the family the critical warning they needed to get out safely. They knew their home fire escape plan and had practiced it together. As they made their way outside, Drupatti was also thinking about her neighbors. She ran to alert her downstairs tenants and those in nearby houses, shouting, “Emergency! Emergency! The house is on fire!”

Firefighters arrived quickly, followed soon after by Red Cross volunteers. Bundled in a heavy coat, Drupatti didn’t notice the Red Cross emblem right away, but she recognized a familiar face. When he introduced himself, it clicked.

“I remember you,” she said. “You were the one who put the alarms in my house.”

That man was Larry Berman, a longtime Red Cross disaster responder. Just two years earlier, he and fellow volunteer Denise Risley had installed smoke alarms in her home as part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign.

Now, Larry was there again, this time helping the Phulbas family in the aftermath of the fire. Alongside fellow volunteer Anthony Williams, he connected them with immediate assistance, a place to stay, and support for the days ahead.

For Larry, this was a full-circle moment.

“We will never know how many lives have been saved by preventing fires, or how many might be saved a year from now or five years from now because of the smoke alarms we are installing today, last year, or next year,” he said. “Moments like this make it all worth it.”

Over the past 11 years, Larry, Denise, and many other volunteers have installed nearly 24,000 smoke alarms and delivered home fire safety and fire escape planning education across Hartford County, helping make more than 8,000 homes safer.

From installing smoke alarms that help families prepare to responding in times of crisis and recovery, the Red Cross is there every step of the way. In Drupatti’s case, that support made all the difference — not once, but twice.

Today, Drupatti is deeply grateful not only for the volunteers who helped her family, but also for the neighbors who continue to be there for her. She credits the smoke alarms and her family’s quick actions with keeping them safe, and the Red Cross for being there when they needed it most.

Home fires are our nation’s most frequent disaster. Visit redcross.org/ctprepare for further information and a free smoke alarm installation.