Volunteers to install more than 800 free smoke alarms in Alaska 

ANCHORAGE — Beginning this weekend, the American Red Cross will Sound the Alarm in Alaska as part of the nationwide Red Cross effort to help reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by home fires. The goal is to install 100,000 smoke alarms in 100 cities across the U.S. 

The Red Cross of Alaska will hold Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events in communities across the state in an effort to install more than 800 smoke alarms at no cost to residents. Red Cross volunteers and local partners will canvas neighborhoods, install free 10-year lithium battery smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms and help families create fire escape plans.

“The lack of working smoke alarms in homes is an ongoing risk to Alaskans,” said Kelley McGuirk, Red Cross of Alaska regional disaster officer. “Home fires are the nation’s most frequent disaster and this fact is something we think about – and prepare for – every day here at the Red Cross of Alaska. Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half. Please join this important effort. Together, we can Sound the Alarm about home fire safety and help save lives.”

A new American Red Cross home fire safety survey shows that roughly two in five people think it’s more likely that they’ll win the lottery than lose their home in a fire, and one in 10 adults reported not purchasing an alarm because of the expense. What’s more, while most people surveyed (98 percent) said they believe smoke alarms can save lives, nearly half said they’ve disconnected an alarm or taken the batteries out when it went off.

In Alaska, there were 18 civilian fatalities due to residential structure fires in 2017, according to the report Fire In Alaska by the State of Alaska Department of Public Safety Division of Fire and Life Safety. Of the residential fires that killed 18 civilians in 2017, only three of the 12 affected homes had working smoke alarms, according to the report.  

Sound the Alarm events by territory:

Far North & Interior

Ester: April 20-21

Gold Rush Estates (Fairbanks): April 27-28

Kotzebue: May 8-10

To schedule an appointment for free smoke alarms and installation in Ester, Gold Rush Estates or Kotzebue, contact 907-456-5937 ext. 5100, email jacob.walker@redcross.org or visit //rdcrss.org/2QevPnD

Matanuska-Susitna Valley & Kodiak

Talkeetna: May 4

To schedule an appointment for free smoke alarms and installation in the Talkeetna area, contact the Talkeetna Fire Department at 907-733-2443 or 907-315-7944 and leave a message with your name and phone number, or visit //rdcrss.org/2QevPnD

Kodiak: May 11

To schedule an appointment for free smoke alarms and installation in Kodiak, contact 206-698-9706 or the Kodiak Fire Department at 907-486-8040 and leave a message with your name and phone number, or visit //rdcrss.org/2QevPnD

Houston: May 18

To schedule an appointment for free smoke alarms and installation in Houston, contact the Houston Fire Department at (907) 892-9130 and leave a message with your name and phone number, or visit //rdcrss.org/2QevPnD

Southcentral

Homer: April 27-30

To schedule an appointment for free smoke alarms and installation in the Homer area, contact 907-646-5408 and leave your name and phone number, or visit //rdcrss.org/2QevPnD

Southeast

Craig and Klawock: May 5

Naukati Bay, Whale Pass and Coffman Cove: May 6

Thorne Bay and Kasaan: May 7

Hollis and Hydaburg: May 8

Ketchikan: May 9

To schedule an appointment for free smoke alarms and installation in communities in the Southeast, call or send a text message to 907-209-1329, or visit //rdcrss.org/2QevPnD

Sound the Alarm events are a part of the ongoing American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign. Each year the Red Cross responds to nearly 62,000 disasters, the majority of which are home fires. The Red Cross set a goal to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries in the U.S. by 25 percent. As of April 2019, the Red Cross and our partners across the country have saved 552 lives through the Home Fire Campaign.

How to Help:

Volunteer

We will need volunteers for our installation events across the state. To learn more about how you can participate, visit SoundTheAlarm.org and enter your zip code to find installation events near you or call the Red Cross at 907-646-5401.

Donate

$15 provides one smoke alarm, installation and fire safety training. Donate to support our effort here.  

Discuss home fire safety with your family

Download our Fire Prevention & Safety Checklist here and discuss it with your family today.

  Thank you to our Sound the Alarm Alaska sponsors:

• Alaska Airlines
• Alaska Commercial Company
• Denali Brewing Company
• Doyon, Limited
• Joanna L. Moss
• Kinross Fort Knox Gold Mine
• Midnight Sun Brewing Co.
• TOTE Maritime Alaska