WAI’ANAE, O‘AHU OCT. 24, 2026 — Seven teams of Red Cross staff and volunteers, along with four members of the Honolulu Fire Dept.’s Community Outreach Office, fanned out across Central O‘ahu, the Wai‘anae Coast, and the North Shore on Saturday to install free smoke alarms in 43 homes.

It was a day Kapua Kahue-Sylva had been looking forward to. She, her husband, five of their nine children, along with her parents, live in a six-year-old home in Wai‘anae. She signed up to have alarms put up during a community market, and this weekend a Red Cross team came to her home for the free installation.

While Kahue-Sylva talked about her close-knit family under pictures of numerous vacations to theme parks, two existing alarms in her home continued “chirping” every 30 seconds or so. She works as a trainer for HMSA. “I just didn’t want to change something, and being a trainer, I know that you can do something, but it might not be the right way. So, because of safety, I wanted to utilize those who know how to do it,” Kauhue-Sylva explained.

Wendy Marsh with the Red Cross Pacific Islands Region endorsed her approach, telling her the existing, hard-wired, beeping alarms need new batteries or can be disconnected by an electrician. The alarms provided by the Red Cross operate on lithium batteries, which have a lifespan of up to ten years.

While Red Cross Volunteer Veronica Mejia installed three new ones in two bedrooms and a hallway, Wendy walked Kapua through home fire safety recommendations and helped her map out an emergency evacuation plan, in the event one of the new alarms begins blaring. “So, what I would do is work out a plan with your kids on how they exit their bedrooms or how you would exit your bedroom,” Marsh told her.

Marsh also provided a tutorial on how and when to check the smoke alarms. Kapua-Sylva added, “I’ve always been a working mom, and I was always worried about what would be happening to my kids in an emergency, especially since Wai'anae is very far. When I was a single mom, the bus ride each way could take two hours, without traffic. Having these alarms provides some peace of mind for us all.”

Last month, less than two weeks after Hurricane Lowell caused widespread destruction on Kaua‘i and days after a wildfire crept close to homes in Kaumakani Village, Red Cross volunteers and staff from the Hawai‘i Chapter installed 143 smoke alarms in 62 historic plantation homes.

Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half. On average, the American Red Cross responds to 65,000 disasters a year. The vast majority are home fires.

The Hawai‘i Red Cross will continue installing smoke alarms across the islands for anyone who is in need. If you would like to receive a free alarm, please call 808-739-8111 to place your request, and a Red Cross representative will schedule a time for installation.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports 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/hawaii or follow us on social media.