Free smoke alarms available to New Kensington residents from Red Cross program

A smoke alarm might have saved a New Kensington home Wednesday morning, fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said.

Something caught fire on a couple’s stovetop about 8:30 a.m. on Beamer Avenue. The wife was at work. The husband was outside working in the yard but heard a smoke detector go off.

The kitchen was full of smoke, and the fire was put out fast, Saliba said.

“Had there not been a smoke detector, I’m sure it would have gutted the kitchen or destroyed the home,” he said.

Saliba said he knows many people don’t have working smoke detectors in their homes.

He’s hoping an American Red Cross program through which city residents can get free smoke detectors installed will help change that.

“It’s the first means of warning to alert one person or an entire family that there’s smoke in your residence and it’s caused by some type of fire,” he said. “It’s alerting you to the situation so you can exit the structure to safety.”

On Saturday, city firefighters and Red Cross volunteers will be installing smoke alarms and providing fire safety education between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Residents can sign up online at soundthealarm.org/greaterpa.

Residents also can call 833-315-0882 to schedule an appointment.

As of Wednesday, Saliba said, more than 50 appointments were scheduled.

People still can sign up to have smoke alarms installed, Red Cross spokeswoman Nicole Roschella said.

The event is part of the national Red Cross Sound the Alarm effort to install 50,000 free smoke alarms in more than 50 communities across the country in May.

“Residents can always sign up for free smoke alarm installations from the Red Cross year-round,” Roschella said. “If a request comes in close to the Sound the Alarm date, our team will coordinate to fulfill those appointments during the event.”

There are no requirements or restrictions, she said.

Saliba said the Red Cross approached New Kensington firefighters more than two years ago about bringing the program to the city. It was in the works when the covid pandemic hit and put it on hold.

To promote the effort, Saliba said, volunteers have put out yard signs and door knockers at more than 600 homes.

While open to anyone in New Kensington, Saliba said organizers are concentrating heavily on Parnassus, Mt. Vernon and the hill.

“Those have been areas where we’ve had a considerable amount of fires over the last 10 years,” he said.

Saliba said city regulations require smoke alarms — one on every level and one in each bedroom — in rental and owner-occupied homes.

The smoke alarms that will be installed for free Saturday will not require battery changes. They come with built-in batteries that are good for 10 years, Saliba said.

Smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years, he said.