The American Red Cross will host its annual “Sound the Alarm” event on March 22 to raise awareness about fire safety and the importance of smoke detectors. The program will offer fire alarm installations and fire prevention information for areas across the USVI community.
Sound the Alarm is part of the American Red Cross’s “Home Fire Campaign,” which promotes fire safety and awareness.
“Every day [across the United States], seven people die in home fires, most often in homes without working smoke alarms,” according to information on the Red Cross’s website. “[The] American Red Cross launched our Home Fire Campaign in 2014 to save lives, [and] Sound the Alarm is a critical part of the campaign,” the Red Cross said. “Through our home visits, we’ve installed more than 2.5 million free smoke alarms and made more than one million households safer across the country,” the Red Cross added.
The Source contacted Tina Beazer, executive director of the American Red Cross of the U.S. Virgin Islands, for further information about Sound the Alarm and program details.
“American Red Cross started Sound the Alarm in 2014 as a national Home Fire Safety program, [and] the focus of the program is to install smoke alarms in homes of vulnerable and underserved individuals and families,” Beazer stated. “As a national program, the first set in alarm installations is considered a ‘Signature ‘Event,’ [and] after the first phase of installations in a given community, the program continues throughout the year on an appointment basis,” Beazer explained.
“For the Signature Event, particular communities are targeted,” Beazer said. “In the [United States,] the decision as to which community is selected [for fire alarm installations] is determined by the use of “heat maps” obtained through fire departments in various communities,” Beazer said. “Here in USVI, we choose the community by the density of the population, the proximity of homes to each other, and the number of home fires reported in the community,” she continued.
Sound the Alarm Community Locations Across the USVI
The Sound the Alarm Program will offer services at locations on St. Croix and St. Thomas between 9 a.m. and noon on Saturday, March 22. A community program will not occur on St. John; however, residents of St. John can contact the Red Cross to set up an appointment for smoke detector installation.
This year, the communities selected for the Sound the Alarm activities are Estate La Grande Princesse on St. Croix and Anna’s Retreat on St. Thomas. Volunteers with the Red Cross and several partners, including the Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Services, will provide individuals within the selected communities with the opportunity to have smoke detectors installed and receive fire safety information.
Beazer said that residents in the La Grande Princesse location on St. Croix and Anna’s Retreat on St. Thomas could expect to hear announcements by volunteers from the Red Cross and its partners explaining that teams are on-site to offer fire safety services. She explained that teams of three would provide the services at homes in the communities.
“The [three] individuals who enter the homes [to install alarms and provide fire safety tips include] an ‘educator’ and an [alarm] ‘installer’ who [before the event] attend a training with [the Red Cross], and the third individual is a ‘documenter,’” Beazer explained.
“There is an educational component [at the time of the smoke detector installation] in which we speak with the adult in the home about [fire dangers including] overpowering extension cords, having curtains close to the stove, smoking indoors, [and other things] that could spark a fire,” Beazer stated.
Approximately 30 individuals will assist the Red Cross and participate in the Sound the Alarm Program, including volunteers who will be vetted prior to working with the organization.
Beazer explained that individuals across the USVI who are interested in volunteering at the event can contact the Red Cross to register.
“If anyone is interested in participating, they can contact us at 340-778-5104 on St. Croix or 340-774-0375 on St. Thomas to sign up to volunteer,” Beazer said.
Additionally, it is important to note that residents not located in the selected communities can also contact the Red Cross for assistance with smoke detector installation appointments.
Ongoing Support for the USVI
The Red Cross’ work through Sound the Alarm has proved to be lifesaving across the United States and the USVI.
“Nationally, [the Red Cross] installed 13,814 alarms in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, saving 15,993 lives,” Beazer proclaimed. “[In the USVI] our 2023-2024 records indicate that we installed 258 alarms last year, making 220 homes safer, [and] our goal for this Signature Event on March 22 is [to complete] 80 [smoke alarm] installations – 40 on St. Croix and 40 on St. Thomas,” she added.
In addition to Sound the Alarm, the American Red Cross provides year-round help across the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“The Red Cross supports the [USVI] community first through preparedness education, [and] we visit schools from kindergarten to 12th grade and provide preparedness education,” Beazer explained. “Additionally, we [offer] preparedness education to groups through community places such as houses of worship, places of employment, and senior residences,” she said.
“[The Red Cross] also provides information to the public at community events such as [Agrifest on St. Croix], which we attend annually, community expositions, and other community gatherings to which we are invited,” Beazer noted.
“We also support [individuals] who experience a home fire by showing up to assess their needs, [and] we offer emotional and spiritual support through our licensed professional volunteers,” Beazer stated. “If a resident [or residents] qualify, we offer temporary financial assistance, [and] we assist [by connecting the individual] to agencies that could be of assistance as they try to get back on their feet,” she added.
Individuals can find more information about the Red Cross’s Sound the Alarm program on the organization’s official website, where fire safety details are also available.
