Free Smoke Alarm Installations Available For Oceanside Residents

OCEANSIDE, CA — The American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties and the Oceanside Fire Department are offering free smoke alarm installations for Oceanside residents.

Installations will take place during a Sound the Alarm home fire safety event on April 5.

"A working smoke alarm can be the difference between survival and tragedy when a home fire strikes," said Melissa Altman, community disaster program manager for the American Red Cross Southern California Region. "That's why the Red Cross is teaming up with Oceanside Fire Department to help ensure Oceanside residents have these lifesaving devices."

During Sound the Alarm events, Red Cross volunteers and partners install free smoke alarms and provide home fire safety information to help prevent home fire deaths and injuries.

Thanks to the efforts of the Red Cross, the Oceanside Fire Department and the Burn Institute, an Oceanside family of five was able to escape a home fire in December.

"I'm so thankful that we went through that training," said Duane Bennett about the home fire safety visits that his family received.

Local Sound the Alarm events like the upcoming Oceanside event are part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save more than 2,320 lives since launching in October 2014, according to the organization. Since then, the Red Cross and local partners have installed more than 47,400 free smoke alarms in San Diego and Imperial counties.

Oceanside residents can visit SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal to schedule an appointment for a free smoke alarm installation during the Sound the Alarm event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 5. Volunteers will also provide 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 during the 20-minute home visits.

People can sign up to volunteer at SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal. No experience is necessary. Training will be provided before volunteer teams visit area homes to install smoke alarms and share fire safety information. Breakfast, lunch and a free T-shirt will be provided to volunteers, according to the Red Cross.

San Diego County residents can also visit SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal to schedule an appointment for free smoke alarms at any time.