JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — When you think of the American Red Cross, the first thing that comes to mind might be natural disaster relief. While they do that, another big focus is helping people impacted by house fires.
For several years, the Red Cross has worked to prevent house fires from happening.
"Started in 2014... we've been installing free smoke alarms in homes," Red Cross Executive Director Lori Arnold-Ellis said. "Ever since then, we renamed the campaign sound the alarm a few years ago."
On Saturday, the organization partnered with the Jacksonville NAACP and fire department to install smoke alarms in homes across the city.
"Arkansas has a very high home fire rate," Ellis said. "We respond to anywhere between two to five smoking fires, home fires every day here in Arkansas."
You might think every house has a smoke alarm, but the fire department said sometimes they come across a few that don't.
"I think that's a common problem," Jacksonville Fire Department Division Chief Michael Williams said. "No one expects to have a house fire. They don't, but when it happens, it's devastating."
Wendell Ross' home is one of the many in the city where the Red Cross stopped, and his four smoke alarms don't work.
"You come in your house, and none of the smoke detectors are doing what they're supposed to," Ross said. "That's a scary idea. You go to sleep up in here, too."
Now he has new ones that will last for the next ten years.
"I'm feeling good," Ross said. "I got this big Kool-Aid smile on my face."
Ross said he's thankful and can sleep even better in his home now.
"Especially when my grandkids are over," Ross said. "When they're over, I'm half asleep trying to stay awake, make sure they are OK and everything's alright. So now, when they come, I can close my bedroom off."
Red Cross said they gave away more than 120 smoke alarms, and along with that, they made sure each household now has a fire evacuation plan.