Big Sky Times

To help families with fire-safety planning in Missoula, the First Interstate Bank and the American Red Cross Montana are providing residents with free smoke alarm installations through the Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign. 

"You think about your bed linens, a sofa, they catch fire and they burn quickly," Diane Wright, executive director of the Montana Red Cross, said. "And that is what statistics have shown us over the years, that it is about how much time it takes."

The free smoke alarm installations will take place Wednesday from 1-5 p.m, according to NBC Montana.

"Are you in need of Smoke Detectors for your home?" the Missoula Rural Fire District posted on Facebook. The American Red Cross is partnering with First Interstate Bank on September 14th to provide FREE smoke alarms to those in need. Please call 406-284-5462, or go online to www.SoundTheAlarm.org/Montana to sign up. Please utilize this opportunity to ensure you have working smoke detectors in your home."

Once the form has been filled out, a member of the Home Fire Campaign team will follow up to schedule an appointment -- either virtually or in-person -- to share home fire safety information and, where feasible, install smoke alarms, the American Red Cross of Montana said on its website. 

Everyone in the family, including children in first grade and up, should be involved in creating and practicing a fire plan at home, Wright said.

According to the American Red Cross of Montana, home fires claim seven lives every day, making it the most common home disaster in the county. Installing smoke alarms can cut the risk of death by half. The organization is encouraging volunteers to install 50,000 free smoke alarms nationwide.