Volunteers to install free smoke alarms during Red Cross Sound the Alarm event

THE WOODLANDS, TX — The Texas Gulf Coast Red Cross Houston chapter volunteers and the Northwest Volunteer Fire Department will be installing free smoke alarms for local families during a Sound the Alarm home fire safety event on April 13.

“Sound the Alarm is rewarding way to give back and directly help local families,” said Shawn Schulze, the Executive Director for the Houston chapter and Regional Chief Executive Officer for the Texas Gulf Coast Red Cross. “It’s a day of coming together to support one another, especially those most vulnerable to home fires. A working smoking alarm can be the difference between survival and tragedy — and as a community, we can help our neighbors stay safe by ensuring they have these lifesaving devices.”

Because of generous donations, all services are free and available for people in need. Can’t join the event? Donate to the Red Cross at redcross.org/Texas to help people prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires — which account for most of the U.S. disasters that the Red Cross responds to every eight minutes.

Residents in the area will receive a free smoke alarm installation during this Red Cross Sound the Alarm event. During the home visits, Red Cross volunteers 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.

This Sound the Alarm event is a critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save at least 2,063 lives since launching in October 2014, 27 of those lives being in the Texas Gulf Coast region.

This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners: Marathon Oil, Ernst & Young, Houston Methodist Hospital and Amegy Bank.

To set up an appointment, visit https://www.redcross.org/sound-the-alarm.html.