Washington Red Cross Volunteers Install Smoke Alarms in HOA Homes

A group of volunteers from the Clallam County Red Cross have installed smoke alarms in HOA homes. The smoke alarms as well as the installation were all free of charge.

An Organized Effort

Clallam County Red Cross volunteers and their friends recently installed smoke alarms in Dungeness Meadows. In total, the volunteers installed 63 smoke alarms in 25 homes for 51 residents. The entire effort took 6 hours to complete.

The project aims to promote fire safety in local communities. In addition to installing the smoke alarms in HOA homes, volunteers also provided tips to the residents. This is all part of the national “Sound the Alarm” program.

Volunteers selected Dungeness Meadows Homeowners Association due to the age of the homes as well as the proximity between the homes. Electrical fires are more common in older homes. And fire more easily spreads from one home to another when they are close to each other. In Dungeness Meadows, a lot of residents had older alarms or didn’t have them at all. Some had a hard time replacing the batteries or testing their existing alarms.

Dungeness Meadows HOA board member Jane Martin described the project as “extremely well organized.” Residents also appreciated that the entire thing didn’t cost them a penny.

Not the First Red Cross Effort

A few years ago, Clallam County Red Cross volunteers spearheaded a similar project in Carlsborg. The effort took place in partnership with Clallam County Fire District 3. This time around, however, a partnership wasn’t possible because the district had open houses during the same time.

In Western Washington Red Cross chapters, over 8,000 smoke alarms have been installed by volunteers. Those smoke alarms have saved at least two families from fire. The Red Cross receives smoke alarm donations from across the United States.

Volunteers from the Clallam County Red Cross have responded to 13 emergencies this year alone. They have also responded to four emergencies in the counties of Jefferson and Kitsap.