Lee County Emergency Management and the Sanford Fire Department have partnered with the American Red Cross to install smoke alarms in homes across East Sanford on Friday, March 28, 2025.
The initiative is part of “Sound the Alarm, Save a Life,” a nationwide campaign to to reduce or prevent fire deaths by installing working smoke alarms, sharing critical fire safety information, and encouraging people to make an escape plan.
Starting at 10:00 a.m. on March 28, teams of firefighters, emergency management staff, and trained Red Cross volunteers will canvass homes in East Sanford. The area identified for the day is First Street through Fifth Street from McIver Street to Weatherspoon Street and includes Talley Avenue and Linden Avenue. View a map here.
Any City of Sanford residents living outside the area identified for March 28 can contact the Sanford Fire Department at 919-775-8313 to schedule a smoke alarm installation. There is no cost for this service. Residents who live inside the affected area do not need to call.
“Education, preparation, and prevention are important proactive measures with meaningful life-saving impacts, which is why initiatives like the ‘Sound the Alarm’ are vital to community safety,” said Justin Hilliard, Lee County Emergency Services Coordinator. “We are thrilled to work together with the American Red Cross and the City of Sanford to ensure a safer community and to raise awareness about fire safety.”
“During a fire, every second counts – a working smoke alarm gives families time to escape,” notes Sanford Fire Chief Matt Arnold. “This partnership with the American Red Cross and Lee County to equip homes with working alarms will help to save lives.”
For more information about the “Sound the Alarm, Save a Life” canvassing event, contact Justin Hilliard at 919-718-5472 or via email. For more information about the Sanford Fire Department’s smoke alarm program, call 919-775-8313.