2 weeks Ago By Reading Eagle, Pa.
When Ann Dybalski saw a flyer offering free smoke alarm installations for West Reading residents, she didn’t hesitate. “I called immediately to schedule,” Dybalski said, noting that a fire this year caused significant damage to a relative’s home. While no one was injured, she said the incident was a stark reminder of the dangers of house fires and the critical role smoke alarms play in preventing tragedy.
Dybalski was one of five homeowners to preregister for the American Red Cross Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter’s Sound the Alarm, Save a Life event Saturday in West Reading. The nationwide campaign of the American Red Cross focuses on reducing fire deaths by installing free smoke alarms, sharing fire safety information and encouraging families to create escape plans. West Reading Fire Chief Chad Moyer and Corinne Bridges of the greater Pennsylvania region of the American Red Cross disaster services, gather equipment for the installation of smoke alarms in West Reading homes on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
(BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE) The Rivers chapter teamed with the West Reading Fire Department and volunteers to form three teams that installed devices in preregistered homes and knocked on doors, offering the service with the goal of reaching at least 100 homes and apartments throughout the borough. Team members Kamna Giare-Patel, a chapter board member; West Reading Fire Chief Chad Moyer; and Corinne Bridges of the Greater Pennsylvania Red Cross Disaster Relief Services were assigned to Dybalski’s home. While Giare-Patel and Moyer replaced the nearly 20-year old devices on the first and second floors, Bridges explained the components of a good escape plan.
Residents should identify multiple escape routes from each room, she said, practice with family members regularly and designate a safe meeting place outside the home where occupants can gather after evacuating. From left, West Reading Fire Chief Chad Moyer, Kamna Giare-Patel, board member of the Rivers chapter of the American Red Cross and Corinne Bridges, disaster services for the Red Cross, arrive at a home to install smoke detectors on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE) Pet owners, like Dybalski, who has three cats, also should be aware of their animals’ common hiding spots so the pets can be quickly located in an emergency, Bridges said.
The need for initiatives like Sound the Alarm is especially urgent in Pennsylvania, said Steve Leauber, Red Cross regional disaster program manager. Pennsylvania has more fire-related deaths than any other state, he said, with 65 reported since the start of the year. Working smoke alarms, he said, can reduce the risk of death by 50%.
“This is about saving lives,” Peter Brown, executive director of the Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter, said of the program. “Every second counts when there’s a home fire. And having working smoke alarms can make all the difference.
” Since the program’s launch by the national organization in 2014, Brown said, it has saved at least 2,320 lives. Pennsylvania chapters began participating in 2015 and now hold 30 to 40 events each year across the state, with five or six typically taking place in the nine-county Rivers region, Brown said. The area chapter is hosting 16 Sound the Alarm events In April and May alone, the busiest time of year for the campaign.
Communities are selected based on fire data and coordination with fire departments, Brown said. “We’ve got a lot of history on fire locations and severity,” he said. Through that analysis, Brown said, Reading and West Reading were identified as two of the most fire-prone areas in Berks County, which is the most densely populated county in the chapter’s coverage area.
The city will be targeted in May with an event held in partnership with the Reading Fire Department. Brown emphasized the power of volunteerism in making the program a success, noting the chapter has around 500 regular volunteers as well as first-timers who join specifically for these events. Mike Herbert, community disaster program manager for the American Red Cross, outlines the procedures for the installation of smoke alarms in West Reading homes to members of the West Reading Fire Company on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
(BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE) “It’s a great team-building opportunity,” he said. “Corporate partners often bring groups, and they spend the day working together, making their communities safer.” Each event begins with a kickoff session where volunteers receive training and supplies before heading out to install alarms and educate residents.
“It’s a really rewarding experience,” Brown added. “You walk away knowing that you’ve increased, by probably 50%, the likelihood that someone will survive in the event of a fire.” For residents like Dybalski, the reassurance that her home and pets are better protected is invaluable.
“This means a lot,” she said, watching as the alarms were installed. “You never think it’s going to happen to you, until it does.” To schedule an appointment for smoke alarm installation or to volunteer, call 570-217-1397 or visit SoundTheAlarm.
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