By: Abby Walker, American Red Cross

The call came while David Pray was across the country, hauling freight through New York. The message was short, but the words hit sharply: your apartment has burned down.

David is used to long days on the road and months away from home. But now, home was gone, and it would be a month before he could return to see the damage.

“The apartment complex told me that the kitchen had a leak somewhere,” he recalled.

Though his apartment did have smoke alarms, David admits they were outdated. His apartment, and all his belongings inside, were lost.

“My brother tried to go inside and get some stuff,” David said, “but all of my clothes were burned, there was really no point.”

Knowing what it feels like to have to start over after a home fire, David is passionate about protecting himself and his family from home fires in the future. That’s why, when he heard that the Spokane Fire Department and the American Red Cross were installing free smoke alarms in his neighborhood, he didn’t hesitate.

“I’m not letting it happen again,” he said firmly.

On April 5, 2025, the sound of a drill and sharp chirp of new smoke alarms echoed through the home where David now lives with his family in Spokane, Washington. It was part of a Red Cross Sound the Alarm event, which rallies volunteers to install smoke alarms and provide families with home fire safety information in an effort to make them safer from the threat of a home fire.

Each chirp, David says, is more than just a test. It adds a sense of security.

“I feel better,” David said after the installation, glancing around the freshly protected home. “At least I know my family is covered.”

Most of us don’t realize we have just two minutes to escape a home fire — which is the nation’s most frequent disaster. That’s why the American Red Cross prepares families to act quickly through the Home Fire Campaign. Learn more and get involved here.