What is Sound the Alarm?
Sound the Alarm allows teams of fire department members, Fire Corps volunteers and building officials to conduct home safety checks, install smoke alarms and complete follow up evaluations. All materials are donated to the teams, including smoke alarms, tool boxes and tool kits. This program is currently being executed in rural areas of states with high fire death rates: Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. The International Code Council (ICC) will work with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to execute the program. This program is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through a Fire Prevention & Safety grant.
Looking for more information?
If you would like to execute a similar campaign in your community, all the forms you need are located under Resources. If you would like to place your department on a list to be considered for the program in the event the pilot program is continued in other states, fill out this form.
Why is Sound the Alarm important?
Rural communities, which are categorized as those with less than 2,500 people,1 are often at increased fire risk because of a combination of factors, such as the following:
- Fewer fire department resources
- Obstacles in reaching households to disseminate information
- Lack of fire prevention education and awareness
- Absence of fire code inspections (Only 3% of departments in rural communities conduct fire code inspections.)
Overall, fire death rates are 35% higher in rural areas compared to non-rural areas.2
Other Important Statistics:
- In rural communities, there are 10,765 fire departments protecting 17.3 million people who do not have programs to provide free distribution of smoke alarms.3
- Smoke alarms serve as a cost-effective yet powerful tool for protecting households from fire and cut the risk of dying in a fire in half.4
- Smoke alarms were present and operational in only 27% of rural residential fires, with the majority of rural fires (58%) occurring in homes without smoke alarms.5
- 1 – “A Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service”, A Cooperative Study Authorized by U.S. Public Law 106-398 conducted by FEMA and NFPA, December 2002
- 2 – “The Rural Fire Problem in the U.S.,” USFA
- 3 – “A Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service”
- 4 – “Smoke Alarms in Reported U.S. Home Fires,” 2003-2006
- 5 – “The Rural Fire Problem in the U.S.,” USFA
About the Fire Prevention & Safety Grant
This program is made possible by a Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S) Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The FP&S grants are part of the Assistance to Firefighter Grants and are under the purview of the Grant Programs Directorate in FEMA. FP&S Grants support projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards. The primary goal is to target high-risk populations, reduce injury and prevent death. Learn more at www.fema.gov.
About the ICC
The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the International Codes developed by the International Code Council (“ICC”). It is the mission of the ICC to provide the highest quality codes, standards, products and services for all concerned with the safety and performance of the built environment. Learn more at www.iccsafe.org.
About the NVFC
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, EMS and rescue services. The NVFC serves as the voice of the volunteer in the national arena and provides invaluable tools, resources, programs and advocacy for first responders across the nation. Learn more at www.nvfc.org.
