NEW ROCHELLE, NY (April 10, 2025) — The American Red Cross is set to install 250 free smoke alarms for New Rochelle residents on May 3, 2025, as part of its Sound the Alarm event, aiming to bolster home fire safety in the lower Hudson Valley.
The initiative, led by the American Red Cross, Metro NY North, will see volunteers and community partners team up to provide the alarms to families vulnerable to home fires. The effort is part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save at least 2,284 lives since its launch in October 2014.
“Most of us don’t realize that we have just two minutes to escape a home fire,” said Stephanie Dunn Ashley, Chapter CEO of the American Red Cross, Metro NY North. “These are the nation’s most frequent disaster and that’s why the Red Cross is helping lower Hudson Valley residents prepare themselves and their families with these home fire safety visits. We encourage everyone who doesn’t have a working smoke alarm in their home to reach out and sign up for an appointment — do it now, before you need it.”
The Metro NY North chapter, covering Westchester County, Rockland County, Greenwich, Connecticut, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has installed over 11,000 free smoke alarms, making more than 4,000 households safer. The upcoming event in New Rochelle continues this mission.
“Smoke alarm installation is a simple and life-saving step that will help protect our residents and keep our community safe,” said New Rochelle Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert. “We are grateful to the American Red Cross for bringing this initiative once again to our City.”
Residents can request a free smoke alarm installation by visiting www.soundthealarm.org/mnyn or calling 1-877-RED-CROSS (877-733-2767) and selecting Option 5. While the event is in New Rochelle, all lower Hudson Valley residents without working smoke alarms are encouraged to sign up.
