Red Cross Offers Fire Prevention Safety Tips

American Red Cross
Friday, 10 October 2003

National Fire Prevention Week Offers Opportunity for Education

With the most active months for residential fires just around the corner, the American Red Cross is urging families to take the time to prepare before a fire strikes by checking smoke alarms, creating evacuation plans and testing those plans.

"Preparing for a home fire does not require a lot of expensive equipment or training," said Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. "There are some quick, affordable steps that families can take to drastically improve their safety and preparedness."

According to Evans, "One of the easiest ways to make residences safer is to install and regularly test smoke detectors. Having some warning against any disaster, whether it's a fire or a tornado, greatly reduces risk to lives. Smoke alarms are your first line of defense because they provide you and your family a chance to escape."

The American Red Cross recommends that smoke alarms be placed on every level of a home and that the alarms be regularly cleaned as dust and debris can interfere with their operation. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in three of every ten reported fires in homes equipped with smoke alarms, the devices did not work, most often because of missing, dead or disconnected batteries. You can remember to change you batteries by picking a holiday or birthday as a reminder.

Another simple measure proven to save lives is developing an emergency plan complete with at least two evacuation routes out of every room in the home. Trying to get out of a house filled with smoke can be incredibly confusing and frightening. By having a pre-determined evacuation plan you are not as stressed to find a solution during that confusing time. Once you get out, stay out. Never try to re-enter a burning home.

"Despite the relative simplicity of basic readiness measures, an overwhelming majority of people in the United States remain frighteningly unprepared," said Evans. A recent poll conducted by the American Red Cross found that 58 percent of the public had not assembled a disaster supplies kit and that 59 percent had not made an emergency plan.

Those most vulnerable to fires are the same populations at greatest risk in many disasters - senior citizens and children. Adults over the age of 70 and children under the age of five have the greatest risk of fire death, reports the NFPA. The fire death risk for both of these groups is about twice that of the average population.

The American Red Cross is dedicated to reducing the impact fires take on the United States each year by distributing crucial preparedness material across the country and instructing millions in life-saving techniques such as First Aid and CPR.

"The Red Cross responds to a disaster every eight minutes, and over 90 percent of those are residential fires," Evans said. "When families are driven from their homes due to fire, it is just as devastating as being victims of a hurricane or tornado. This is why the Red Cross urges preparedness."

However, even the Red Cross, a long-time leader in disaster safety and response, doesn't feel completely prepared for the wrath of fires-financially, that is.

Unfortunately, the Red Cross response to such disasters has taken its toll on the Disaster Relief Fund, which allows the organization to provide immediate emergency assistance to the victims of everything from multi-unit apartment fires to severe storms or damaging floodwaters. On September 15, the Red Cross announced that the Fund was empty, due to a decrease in financial support and an increase in "silent" disasters--those that may not make headlines.

Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the American Red Cross is a nationwide network of nearly 1,000 chapters and Blood Services regions dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Led by 1.2 million volunteers and 30,000 employees, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to families affected by more than 67,000 disasters, trains almost 12 million people in lifesaving skills and exchanges more than a million emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their families. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts at locations worldwide.

For more information, or to contact American Red Cross, see their website at: www.redcross.org