Gerry and Bonnie Gibson enjoy the morning sun from their back yard on the Skykomish River in Sultan on Tuesday. The Gibsons never planned to spend their retirement installing smoke alarms in homes, but they have been helping the Red Cross do exactly that since Jan. 8, 2016, when a house fire took the life of their son, Greg “Gibby” Gibson, 36, a musician, and his dog, Nino. His death could have been prevented, Gerry said, with a smoke alarm. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Gerry and Bonnie Gibson enjoy the morning sun from their back yard on the Skykomish River in Sultan on Tuesday. The Gibsons never planned to spend their retirement installing smoke alarms in homes, but they have been helping the Red Cross do exactly that since Jan. 8, 2016, when a house fire took the life of their son, Greg “Gibby” Gibson, 36, a musician, and his dog, Nino. His death could have been prevented, Gerry said, with a smoke alarm. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Tragedy inspired parents to evangelize for smoke detectors

After their son, Greg Gibson, died in a house fire, Gerry and Bonnie Gibson sounded the alarm.

SULTAN — There are reminders of Greg “Gibby” Gibson everywhere in his parents’ handsome home along the Skykomish River.

Upstairs, on one wall, are his drumsticks and a cymbal. A photo shows a band performing at Tony V’s Garage in Everett, but in place of the missing drummer is a shimmering light. In other pictures, Greg is a kid along the river with his sisters, and a young man with his dog. His mother has a scarf with “Seattle Ska Fest 2016” stitched on one side and “RIP Greg 1979-2016” on the other.

Gibson, 36, and his loyal pit bull, Nino, were killed Jan. 8, 2016, in a Shoreline house fire.

“It was unnecessary, avoidable and we’re trying to teach everybody else that it is,” said Gerry Gibson, Greg’s 70-year-old father.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

He and his wife, Bonnie Gibson, honor their son and promote safety through Gibby Home Fire Prevention, a nonprofit they founded after Greg’s death. Working with the American Red Cross, since March 2016 they have installed about 1,800 free smoke alarms.

Gerry and Bonnie Gibson will be recognized, along with other honorees, at the Red Cross Heroes Breakfast on Thursday at Tulalip Resort Casino. The annual fundraising event supports the work of the Red Cross serving Snohomish County.

Greg “Gibby” Gibson

Greg “Gibby” Gibson

Greg Gibson, a 1998 graduate of Kamiak High School, was a musician and music promoter who had played drums in several bands, including The Sky Rained Heroes. With the Kamiak band, he played at President Bill Clinton’s 1996 inauguration parade and traveled to Disneyland.

He and Nino were asleep in a daylight basement room of a Shoreline rental house when an electrical fire broke out. Four others upstairs were able to escape, Gerry Gibson said. There wasn’t a working smoke detector where Greg Gibson died.

His two older sisters, Emily Bennett and Colleen Rowe, “wanted to do something,” Gerry Gibson said. “Putting in smoke detectors seemed like the logical thing.” As the family created Gibby Home Fire Prevention, they also learned about a Red Cross campaign to reduce fire deaths and injuries.

“We partner with the Red Cross. They furnish 90 percent of the smoke alarms,” Gerry Gibson said. Helpers with their nonprofit, along with Red Cross volunteers, install the sealed smoke alarms, which with lithium batteries have a 10-year life. “When it’s free there’s no excuse,” Gibson added.

Education is part of their mission, and they attend health and safety fairs. “We talk about fire escape plans,” said Bonnie Gibson, 69. “People should diagram a floorplan, but it has to be practiced.”

Gerry Gibson holds a T-shirt bearing his and Bonnie’s nonprofit company message and logo with “Gibby” and his dog, Nino, as the heroes. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Gerry Gibson holds a T-shirt bearing his and Bonnie’s nonprofit company message and logo with “Gibby” and his dog, Nino, as the heroes. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Greg Gibson loved superheroes. Childhood birthdays often meant seeing a much anticipated superhero movie. When they’re out installing smoke detectors, the Gibsons wear shirts with their nonprofit’s logo. It’s a caped superhero likeness of their son, with goatee and glasses, carrying a fire extinguisher and accompanied by a cape-wearing dog.

“We wanted to make Greg and Nino into superheroes,” Bonnie Gibson said. When she talks about what happened to her son, “I don’t tell people to make them feel bad,” she said. It’s to hammer home a message — smoke alarms save lives.

They have installed the devices in houses, apartments and mobile homes. And on their nonprofit’s website and elsewhere online, they find thank yous.

“Gibby, I’ve never met you,” a Snohomish woman wrote on the Tributes website. “But your dad came today and installed four smoke alarms in my house in your honor. I’m on disability with a very limited income, and couldn’t have afforded them otherwise. You don’t know it, but you may have saved my life!”

Gerry Gibson is retired after a career as a special agent with the federal Department of Health and Human Services. His wife is a registered nurse who retired from Group Health.

Beyond installing smoke alarms, the Gibsons have pushed for changes in the law.

During the 2017 legislative session, Gerry Gibson worked with then-state Sen. Kirk Pearson, a Monroe Republican who has since been appointed to a U.S. Department of Agriculture position. The aim was passage of a bill that would compel a rental’s owner to certify compliance with fire safety requirements before getting insurance.

“It didn’t get out of committee,” said Gibson. He hopes the bill and a companion measure in the House will advance during the 2018 session.

He also has written to U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, all Washington Democrats, about requiring current smoke alarm compliance in all federal subsidized housing, where millions of children, elderly and disabled people live.

For 17 years, the Gibsons have lived along the Skykomish. Their Sultan home is a stone’s throw from the picnic and camping place Gerry Gibson visited as a boy when his dad, a Seattle police officer, bought riverfront property.

Now, rather than enjoying lives of leisure, they work to spare others their family’s pain.

“Retirement is different than I thought it would be,” Gerry Gibson said. “The whole idea is to save a life.”

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Learn more

Information about American Red Cross serving Snohomish County: www.redcross.org/local/washington/chapters/snohomish-county

Information about Gibby Home Fire Prevention: www.gibbyhomefireprevention.org

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

The city’s biennial budget assumed a $6 million levy lid lift. The final levy amount is up to the City Council.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Snohomish County property owners can prepare for wildfire season

Clean your roofs, gutters and flammable material while completing a 5-foot-buffer around your house.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

The age of bridge 503 that spans Swamp Creek can be seen in its timber supports and metal pipes on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Lynnwood, Washington. The bridge is set to be replaced by the county in 2025. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Snohomish County report: 10 bridges set for repairs, replacement

An annual report the county released May 22 details the condition of local bridges and future maintenance they may require.

The Edmonds City Council gathers to discuss annexing into South County Fire on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Community group presents vision for Edmonds’ fiscal future

Members from Keep Edmonds Vibrant suggested the council focus on revenue generation and a levy lid lift to address its budget crisis.

Marysville is planning a new indoor sports facility, 350 apartments and a sizable hotel east of Ebey Waterfront Park. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New report shifts outlook of $25M Marysville sports complex

A report found a conceptual 100,000-square-foot sports complex may require public investment to pencil out.

x
Edmonds seeks applicants for planning board alternate

The member would attend and participate in meetings and vote when another member is absent. Applications close June 25.

People walk during low tide at Picnic Point Park on Sunday, March 3, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Beach cleanup planned for Picnic Point in Edmonds

Snohomish Marine Resources Committee and Washington State University Beach Watchers host volunteer event at Picnic Point.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Stanwood in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Stanwood man accused of crashing into 2 vehicles, injuring federal agents

Victor Vivanco-Reyes appeared in federal court Monday on two counts of assaulting a federal agent with a deadly weapon.

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.