Put five things on one page: who qualifies, how to ask, what happens at the visit, what the resident should do after, and a person to call. Add the basic smoke alarm advice from the U.S. Fire Administration so the page helps people who do not qualify too. If you do not run a program, say who does in your area.
Name it the way people search
Nobody types "community risk reduction." They type "free smoke alarm" or "smoke detector install" and the name of the town. Call the page "Free smoke alarms" and say in the first line who can get one. The program's formal name can sit lower down.
A real example, so you can see the shape
Brunswick County, North Carolina, runs its program out of the Fire Marshal's Office, so it is bigger than most volunteer departments. Still, its community risk reduction page covers what a resident needs to know. As read on October 19, 2026, it says:
- Residents, property owners and county staff qualify if the home has no working smoke alarms, has alarms that do not work, or has alarms older than 10 years.
- The new alarms have sealed lithium batteries that the county says last 10 years.
- Someone from the Fire Marshal's Office checks the home first, then installs as many alarms as the size of the home and the number of bedrooms call for.
- Installs happen on weekdays during set hours, and staff call the resident to pick a time.
- You ask through an online form or by email, and there is a phone number for questions.
- A separate free carbon monoxide alarm program uses the same form.
Those details are Brunswick County's. Your rules, your supply and your hours will be different. Write yours down before you write the page.
The five parts of the page
| Part | What it answers |
|---|---|
| 1. Who qualifies | Where you serve, whether renters can ask, and any limits such as owner-occupied homes only. If supply runs out, say so. |
| 2. How to ask | A short form that works on a phone, plus a phone number for people who will not fill out a form. |
| 3. What happens at the visit | Who comes, how long it takes, what they check, and whether they install battery or hardwired alarms. |
| 4. After the visit | Test the alarm monthly, and what to do when it chirps. One line each. |
| 5. Who to call | One named phone number and the hours someone answers. Add the line "If it is an emergency, call 911." |
Say what kind of alarm you install
The U.S. Fire Administration says that only qualified electricians should install hardwired smoke alarms. If your crews put in battery alarms only, put that on the page, so a resident with a dead hardwired unit knows before the visit what you can and cannot do. It saves a disappointed phone call.
Give the advice even to people who do not qualify
Most people who land on the page will not need an install. They want to know if their own alarms are fine. The same U.S. Fire Administration page gives the plain rules, and you can link it rather than retype them. As read on October 19, 2026, it says to:
- Put smoke alarms inside and outside each bedroom and sleeping area, and on every level of the home.
- Test the alarms every month.
- Replace smoke alarms 10 years from the manufacture date.
It also notes that there are alarms for people with hearing loss, with strobe lights or vibration. If your program can supply those, say so on your page and say how to ask. That one line reaches the residents a standard alarm does not.
Keep the form usable
Every field on the request form needs a visible label, not only gray placeholder text that disappears when someone starts typing. Ask for the least you need: a name, a phone number, the address, and a box for anything the crew should know. Put a short note after the button that says what happens next and how soon someone calls. If the form is a PDF to print, offer the phone number right beside it, because many of the people who need an alarm most will not print anything.
Link the page with words that say what it is, such as "Request a free smoke alarm", not "click here". Google's own link guidance asks for link text that is descriptive and relevant, and it is the same thing a screen reader user needs.
If you do not run a program
Still make the page. Say that your department does not install alarms, then link the county, state or nonprofit program that does, and keep the U.S. Fire Administration advice on it. A page that sends people to the right place is better than a search that finds nothing.
Do this this week
- Write down who qualifies, what you install, and who answers the phone.
- Make one page called "Free smoke alarms" with the five parts above.
- Build a short request form with labels, or list a phone number if a form is too much.
- Link the U.S. Fire Administration smoke alarm page for the general advice.
- Put the page in your main menu and pin a post that links to it on your Facebook page.
Why I am writing this
I build websites for fire departments, so I would like you to have a good one. A smoke alarm page does not need me. Any page you can edit will do. If your site is hard to edit or nobody has the login, that is the gap I fill. For another page residents look for, see what a fire department burn permit page should say.