Smoke Alarms Keep Families Safe

Smoke alarms, nicknamed "your nose at night," are essential to warning your family of fire. Since your family's safety depends on a smoke alarm, the Red Cross advises everyone to keep your alarm in top-notch condition.

Free Smoke Alarm Program

The Greater Kansas City American Red Cross offers a free smoke alarm program to help reduce injury, death and property loss caused by fire. It targets homeowners who have hardships affording or installing the alarms. Trained Red Cross volunteers will install the alarms or replace batteries for residents who are elderly and/or disabled, and discuss fire safety with members of a household. This program is sponsored by State Farm Insurance.

For more information, please call 816-841-5237. To get smoke alarms installed or batteries replaced, please call the Smoke Alarm Hotline at 816-841-5242. If you need smoke alarms but you are not elderly or disabled, please call 816-841-5237 to schedule a time to come pick up smoke alarms at the Red Cross.

Smoke Alarms for the Hearing Impaired

In an effort to take fire safety prevention a step further, the Chapter is now offering smoke alarms designed for the hearing impaired. “For people who are hearing impaired, a traditional smoke alarm may not provide adequate safety,” explained Rebecca Nafzinger, Red Cross community disaster education program manager. “And, after receiving requests from residents for smoke alarms of this nature, we realized there was a need. Fortunately, State Farm’s sponsorship has turned this need into a possibility for our Chapter.”

Hearing Impaired Smoke Alarm

The Chapter is providing two varieties of smoke alarms to ensure the safety of hearing impaired individuals and families in the Kansas City area. The first utilizes a strobe light as the alerting device, and the second sends a signal from the transmitter to the receiver that causes a vibration that notifies a sleeping individual.

Smoke Alarm Maintenance

The Red Cross urges taking just a few minutes to make sure your smoke alarm is in working order. Every day the Red Cross responds to fires where smoke alarms saved lives. Maintenance of your smoke alarm is the best way to continue protecting you and your family. These easy smoke alarm maintenance tips help to ensure that your smoke alarm is in working order and that your family is safe.

Testing: It can't protect you if it doesn't work.

Test your alarms once a month.
Push the test button and listen for the alarm.
If you can't reach the alarm, stand under the alarm and push the test button with a broom handle.

Replace Smoke Alarms that are more than ten years old.

Smoke alarms older than 10 years need to be replaced.

Replacing Batteries: Twice a year, during Daylight Savings Time weekends: “Change your Clock, Change your Batteries”.

Change batteries when the alarm chirps, alerting you that the battery power is low.
When you move into a new home, immediately change the batteries.
Make sure no one disables the alarm by borrowing batteries for other uses.

Cleaning: Like your home, your smoke alarms should be cleaned.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Remove cobwebs and dust with a vacuum cleaner attachment.
Cover the alarm with a shield, if you are going to be doing work nearby that could send dust in the air.
Shield the alarm if you are painting around it and never paint on it.
Remember to remove the shield promptly after work is complete.

For more information regarding the Greater Kansas City Chapter’s smoke alarm program, call 816-841-5237, or email info@kcredcross.org.

American Red Cross Greater Kansas City Chapter 211 W. Armour Blvd. Kansas City, MO 64111 USA		Phone 816-931-8400 Fax 816-531-7306
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