Haleyville Fire and American Red Cross teaming up to install free smoke detectors

HALEYVILLE - Haleyville Fire/Rescue is always ready to save lives, and through a partnership with the American Red Cross, they hope to save even more with a new project.
Haleyville Fire/Rescue and the American Red Cross will be offering free smoke alarm installation for residents within their fire coverage area only beginning Thursday, Aug. 15. The August 15, install date will be the first of three planned in Haleyville’s fire coverage area, according to Haleyville Fire Acting Chief Terrell Baccus.
“We will divide up in teams depending on the number of requests we have and install the smoke detectors on our drill nights,”  Baccus said, adding that installations will also take place on Thursday, Sept. 19, and Thursday, Oct. 17.  Firefighters will be joined by American Red Cross volunteers to help install the smoke detectors.
Baccus learned about the program years ago and is excited to bring it to Haleyville.  He reached out to the American Red Cross, and Community Disaster Program Manager Stephanie Holcomb came to the fire department recently on a drill night to inform firefighters about the program.
Holcomb is thrilled Haleyville is participating in the Sound the Alarm, Save a Life program. One of Holcomb’s first experiences in her current role with the American Red Cross involved a fire tragedy in Haleyville.
“I began working with Disaster Cycle Services in June, 2021, after working with our blood services for two years.  My first experience with a fire death was in Haleyville in January, 2022.   I met with the surviving family member the day after the fire with one of our amazing volunteers, Ricky Benford.  After meeting with the family, I made it as far as Double Springs before I had to pull over and cry out loud.   It was gut wrenching.
“A few days later, I drove back to Haleyville and met with Chief Baccus. He and his team were so brokenhearted over this tragedy.  Since then, I knew that I wanted to do a home fire campaign in Haleyville,” Holcomb said.
Sound the Alarm, Save a Life is available to renters and homeowners, Holcomb said.
“We can install in any home, mobile home or apartment,”  Holcomb said.
The number of smoke alarms installed will depend on the layout of the home, Holcomb said.
“We will install as many as it takes to make that home safe,” Holcomb said.  An adult 18 and older must be present the night of the installation.
Baccus is very happy for Haleyville Fire Department to participate and is especially happy to see the campaign taking place before cold weather arrives, when people may be looking for alternate or unsafe sources to stay warm.  While this program will only be available to those available in the Haleyville Fire/Rescue coverage area, Baccus is hopeful that other fire departments in the county and surrounding area will decide to contact the American Red Cross and participate, as well.
“We would like to see this program spread across the area,”  Baccus said.
To sign up for this completely free program, residents within Haleyville Fire/Rescue’s coverage area can call the Haleyville Fire Department at (205) 486- 2435 during regular business hours or they can go to soundthealarm.org/alabama to register.
For those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, the American Red Cross offers another device that can help alert them should a fire occur in their home.
“ We offer bed shakers that link with the smoke alarms in their home.  The bed shakers are portable and can be taken on vacation! Our bed shakers were responsible for saving two lives in Arley in March, 2023,”  Holcomb said.
Those interested in the bed shakers can also contact the Haleyville Fire Department or go to soundthealarm.org/alabama to learn more.
Holcomb and Baccus both hope that Sound the Alarm, Save a Life will save even more lives.
“The nation's most frequent disaster is home fires.  Most families may not realize that they have two minutes or less to escape a home fire.  In 2014, we launched the Home Fire Campaign in hopes to save more lives by installing free smoke alarms and creating fire escape plans with the help of our partners, like Haleyville Fire Department.  Since 2014, we have installed almost 3 million free smoke alarms to more than a million homes and have helped to save over 1,500 lives,” Holcomb said.
“We have seen fire deaths trend down over the last few years.  This is in direct correlation to homes having working smoke alarms and families being better educated on the importance of escape plans.  My goal, along with Haleyville Fire/Rescue, is simply to make homes safer and give our families the best chance of everyone making it out of their home in the event that a fire does occur,”  Holcomb said.