Tag Archives: Sound the Alarm

National Award Recognizes Local Disaster Responder 

Posted on by

By Alex Keilty, American Red Cross Volunteer 

How does one American Red Cross award recipient know her volunteer work is helping people?

Jody loading up a trunk with free smoke alarms

“It’s the look of relief when someone realizes they have a safe place to go, when a family gets the help they need to take their next step, or when someone who has lost so much realizes they aren’t facing it alone,” Red Cross Volunteer Jody Kimbrel says. Jody has seen that relieved expression on people’s faces countless times while responding to 70 major disasters, including Hurricane Helene and wildfires in Maui and California.

In recognition of her efforts, Jody was awarded the Bob Hassmiller Excellence in Disaster Services Award in Washington, D.C. in April this year. This national level award celebrates a volunteer who has made a significant, positive impact on the American Red Cross, the community and the people we serve in the areas of disaster preparedness, response, or recovery.

Read more

Sound The Alarm: 459 Homes Are Now Safer Thanks to Red Cross Volunteers, Local Fire Departments and Community Partners 

Posted on by

By Quinn Aftab

The American Red Cross is widely known to respond to disasters caused by home fires across the nation – but what about preventative action?

All the tools and assets necessary for a Sound the Alarm event. Photography by: Pooja Klebig | American Red Cross

As part of the Home Fire Campaign, the Red Cross does not only seek to aid communities in home fire recovery, but also in the necessary steps that lead to home fire prevention. By installing free smoke alarms in residential neighborhoods and educating communities about home fire safety, Red Cross chapters ensure a holistic approach to protection is enacted. As of today, the Red Cross, alongside local fire departments and community partners, has installed 1,128 smoke alarms in 459 homes, creating a safer space for 1,502 residents across the Northern Coastal California Region.

Read more

Colleagues Connect to Make Community Safer  

Posted on by
Vanir team ready to head out to install smoke alarms for community members in Richmond, Calif., for Sound the Alarm. L to R: Project Directors Santiago Harris and Cymbre Potter, Construction Manager Tierra Andrews, and Senior Project Manager Laurence Maller

On a cool Saturday morning in Richmond, Calif., a group of colleagues from construction management company Vanir traded hard hats and project schedules for clipboards and smoke alarms. They were part of the American Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign, installing free smoke alarms and sharing fire safety information in at-risk communities. 

But for this team, the day was about more than just service. It was also about connection. 

Read more

Making Life on the Water Safer

Posted on by

Red Cross Volunteers bring home fire safety to the floating homes of Sausalito

Catherine Lee, Ron Lau, Vincent Valenzuela, Lesley Carmichael and Claire Cannariato (L to R) prepare to install smoke alarms in floating homes

“You’re on the water.  You’ve got wildlife out your window.  You’ve got the sun playing off the water.”

That’s how Flo Hoylman describes living aboard a houseboat in Sausalito, Calif., just north of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. But Flo, who serves on the board of the Sausalito Floating Homes Association, knows she and her neighbors on the water are just as susceptible to fires as any other Californians. 

“We still burn. And if there was a fire, like there was in Santa Rosa, the embers would come down on us, too.”

Read more

Gerald’s Way of Showing Up

Posted on by

If you ask Gerald to describe himself, he won’t start with titles, ranks or achievements. He’ll simply say, “I’m just Gerald — someone who cares about people, someone willing to listen and someone who’ll help however he can.”

That’s how he moves through the world: grounded, steady and guided by values instilled long before he ever wore a Marine Corps uniform or stepped into a technology leadership role.

Read more

Seven Decades of Gratitude: An Unforgettable Volunteer Helps After a Fire

Posted on by

Co-authored by Channa Sweet and Jill Feldon LaNouette


October 20, 1957 newspaper clippings of the 4-alarm fire that took place on Fell St.
Credit: The San Francisco Examiner // Archives

Carol awoke at 2 a.m. to an unimaginable scene unfolding in front of her. She was trapped in a room with smoke burning her nose and flames licking at the door. Unable to leave through her bedroom door, she climbed out her window and escaped from the third floor down an already burning fire escape. With singed hair and bare feet firmly planted on the cold ground, she stood across the street feeling like she was “watching her whole life burn away.”

Read more
« Older Entries