In preparation for a safe holiday season throughout the region, Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay partnered with the American Red Cross on Long Island for her December Monthly Mission project to “Sound the Alarm” on home fire safety. The Assemblywoman and the American RedCross brought together over 30 community volunteers to install nearly 100 smoke detectors and perform fire safety checks at 74 residents’ homes in Assembly District 4. According to the American Red Cross, nearly 47,000 fires occur during the winter holidays claiming more than 500 lives and causing more than 2,200 injuries. This collaboration assisted residents in upgrading their home fire safety equipment at no-cost while also educating and helping to prepare homeowners in the event of a home fire.

Regarding the initiative, Assemblywoman Kassay shared, “Keeping families safe in their homes is a deeply meaningful way to protect our local families, especially during the winter months when the risk of home fires increases. I am very grateful for the American Red Cross and their partnership, as well as the dozens of dedicated volunteers who give their time and energy to help neighbors. By installing smoke alarms and sharing life-saving fire safety education, we are taking simple but powerful steps to prevent tragedy and ensure that more families in Assembly District 4 can feel secure in their homes this holiday season and beyond.”

“We are deeply grateful to Assemblywoman Kassay for her steadfast support of the Sound the Alarm home fire safety event in her district,” said Jose Dominguez, CEO, American Red Cross on Long Island. “Her commitment to protecting families and strengthening community resilience helped us reach more households with lifesaving education and free smoke alarm installations. Together we will continue to make homes safer and empower residents with the tools they need to prevent tragedy.”

“It was amazing,” said Vett Vena, a community member who volunteered at the event. “You always remember how people make you feel and this combined event has created a long-lasting impact on my life. It warms my heart when you help people in a proactive way and it’s what we need in our community.”

Magnolia Chiri from the American Red Cross shared, “Thank you so much for participating with us. This is a great community event, and we are very grateful to have the Assemblywoman. That is something we are trying to expand on and hope to work with everyone again.”

Jason Lyons from American Red Cross said, “Serving the community of AD4 with community members was a fulfilling and heartfelt event. I would love the opportunity to do this in the future.”

Volunteers were fueled throughout the day by the generosity of local business owners. All involved in this effort expressed appreciation for David of Setauket Bagel Express for donating breakfast, and Seth of Port Jefferson Station Jersey Mike’s for donating lunch to this Red Cross public safety effort. Their support kept the teams energized for the full day of volunteering.

The American Red Cross on Long Island is a nonprofit organization that responds to emergencies and disasters across the region. Their goal is to provide disaster relief, supply about 40% of the nation’s blood, teach life-saving skills, distribute humanitarian aid, and support veterans, military members, and their families. The American Red Cross’s smoke detector installation program is ongoing. Constituents who missed this event and would still like to request a smoke detector installation can visit their Web site to sign up with the American Red Cross.

As 2026 begins, Assemblywoman Kassay enthusiastically announces the first three Monthly Mission programs that her office will facilitate this year:

• Thursday, January 29^th, 6:00-8:00pm at the Setauket Fire Department, Life Saving Skills: volunteers are invited to join first responders for an educational evening, learning how to perform hands-only CPR, stop the bleed, administer Narcan, defibrillator use, and more
• Thursday, February 12^th, 5:30-7:30pm at the Coram Fire Department, Valentines for Healthcare Workers: volunteers will put their hands and hearts to work with art and collage supplies making cards to show appreciation for our local healthcare heroes
• Saturday, March 7^th, 10:00am-1:00pm at the Emma Clark Library, Historical Preservation Archival Effort: volunteers will have an opportunity to learn how historical documents are digitized and help local organizations transcribe these documents to ensure their preservation and accessibility

Community members are encouraged to visit the Assemblywoman’s government website, call her office at 631-751-3094, or email kassayr@nyassembly.gov to sign up for her electronic newsletter and receive information about constituent services, upcoming events, and community updates.