‘Sound the Alarm’ event gives Beckley residents a free smoke detector installation

Michael Hare
·2 min read

BECKLEY (WVNS) – You may not know it, but your smoke detector may not be working properly.

With many house fires happening across the nation each year, it is important to be prepared for potential disaster. The City of Beckley Fire Department took the time to help residents out.

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The City Beckley Fire Department and the American Red Cross partnered to host “Sound the Alarm.”

People who live in Beckley were given the chance to get a free smoke detector installed in their home with a 10-year battery life.

The event is Wednesday, April 25th and Thursday, April 26th of 2024.

Captain Chris Graham with the City of Beckley Fire Department said this event was a step up from their previous smoke detector program.

“[With] our original smoke detector program, we would give detectors out to anyone who is elderly or handicapped. You know, I [got] to thinking about it and there’s so many kids who are on their own sometimes. With this program giving smoke detectors out to anyone, this would maybe save a child’s life,” said Graham.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, in 2021 more than 350-thousand house fires occurred across the nation.

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With the risk of house fires rising, properly working smoke detectors are more than necessary.

Angela Akers, Disaster Program Manager for the American Red Cross, said helping with this event is a step toward prevention.

“Every eight minutes Red Cross is responding to some form of a disaster with home fires being one of the leading causes right now. By having these free smoke alarms in these homes, we know we are impacting and saving those lives,” said Akers to 59News.

With the increasing risk of house fires, the City of Beckley Fire Department and the American Red Cross were giving citizens a way to possibly prevent disaster.

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