Sound the Alarm

Our top priority is protecting the well-being of the people we serve and our volunteers, while delivering lifesaving services. Because the global COVID-19 pandemic has grown rapidly in the U.S., we have postponed all Sound the Alarm events, home fire safety visits and preparedness presentations until further notice. 

Our top priority is protecting the well-being of the people we serve and our volunteers, while delivering lifesaving services. The Red Cross worked closely with public health officials and partners to follow the latest guidance from the CDC and postpone Sound the Alarm events and home fire safety visits until further notice. We plan to reschedule and will provide more information as it becomes available.

Your safety is our top priority. That’s why we are postponing our in-home visits as we continue to work closely with local public health officials and partners to follow the latest guidance from the CDC. If you signed up for the Red Cross to install free smoke alarms in your home, we will contact you to reschedule when we resume our in-home visits. This was a difficult decision, and we want to assure you that these measures are in place to help protect everyone’s well-being.

South Carolina residents who are interested in volunteering for Sound the Alarm can register here.

You can find information about all upcoming smoke alarm installation events in your local area by visiting our volunteer event search tool and entering your zip code. 

We want to make sure that you’re prepared to make our communities safer – and that you have a great volunteer experience.

That's why we developed short, streamlined training videos to help you get ready for your Sound the Alarm experience, which focus on the following topics:

• Overview of our Home Fire Campaign and Sound the Alarm events
• How to conduct an in-home visit with safety, quality and effectiveness
• Role-specific guides for the:
  • Smoke Alarm Installer
  • Educator
  • Documenter

The in-home visit team training essentials videos are grouped together in a playlist for easy viewing.

Dress comfortably – you will be on your feet walking outdoors most of the day. Listen to the weather forecast!

Your Sound the Alarm event will be a fun day of preparing families against home fires and making your community safer. Together, we will check smoke alarms in homes and replace if necessary, educate families about home fire safety, build evacuation plans with them and document our services.

When you arrive at the event location, follow the signs to check in. When everyone has arrived, there may be a short rally which gives us an opportunity to provide simple training and tips, as well as to celebrate you for generously volunteering your time! 

You'll meet your installation team members (if you don't already know them) and receive supplies such as smoke alarms, a drill, educational materials, and a map of your route for the day. Then it's time to head out!

Most of your day will be spent visiting homes, installing smoke alarms, and providing home fire safety education to residents. Plus, you will be providing a valuable service to your community and helping to save lives. 

Absolutely! We prefer everyone to register ahead of time so we are prepared to provide an excellent volunteer experience. If you don’t have time to register ahead, that’s okay, we will have forms available onsite.

Youth under 18 may volunteer at Sound the Alarm events but we do require parental consent. Please print out and have your parent/guardian fill out the Parental Consent form. Bring it with you to the registration table on the day of the event. Youth can serve in the documenter and educator positions on installation teams. 

Please visit our Fundraising Toolkit page for help in creating your Facebook fundraiser. We also have stories, photos and social media messages you can customize to get the word out and make your fundraiser a success!

We’re sorry you’re unable to attend. To cancel your event registration, click here and enter your zip code. Select the event you registered for and then click next (note: you may be asked to log in to Volunteer Connection at this point). From there, you will see the Event Details page and you can cancel your reservation at the bottom.

Connect with your local Red Cross for additional information about your event, our home fire campaign or other volunteer opportunities. Search for your local chapter or reference contact information within your email confirmation. 

If you have already signed up for a Sound the Alarm event, check out SoundTheAlarm.org/Info for answers to many common questions

Our events will still occur. Please be prepared for all types of weather. If you must cancel, please let us know. 

You will receive event location information, training videos and contact information for your local Red Cross. Please note that some information may not be available until the final week prior to the event. If you need additional information at this time, please connect with your local chapter.