Clark County residents can register at soundthealarm.org for a free smoke alarm installation
Southwest Washington residents in the Clark County area have an opportunity to make their homes safer with a free smoke alarm installation from Red Cross Cascades and community partners on April 30 and May 7.
“Our goal is to save lives,” said Rebecca Marshall, disaster officer, Red Cross Cascades Region. “On average, we respond to nearly 700 disasters, like home fires, annually. That’s why we want to make sure everyone has working smoke alarms, which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.”
Residents who need assistance can visit soundthealarm.org to schedule an appointment for a free smoke alarm installation during the Red Cross Sound the Alarm event on April 30 in the Ridgefield-Kalama areas or on May 7 in Vancouver, Camas and Washougal, between 8:30 a.m.– 4 p.m. During the 20-minute home visits, Red Cross volunteers and community partners will also share information on the causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan.
“Most people don’t realize they only have two minutes to escape a home fire — and that smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 years,” Marshall said. “Taking action with this knowledge can be the difference between survival and tragedy.”
This Sound the Alarm event is part of a national Red Cross initiative in May to install 50,000 free smoke alarms with partners in more than 50 at-risk communities across the country. Sound the Alarm events area critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save 1,243 lives nationally since launching in October 2014. In the Cascades Region, which includes Oregon and Southwest Washington, nearly 40,000 smoke alarms have been installed and more than 12,000 homes made safer as part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign and Sound the Alarm events.
This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners.
