Fire Prevention Week: Keeping Our Homes and Families Safe

Imagine being at home with your family when suddenly the smoke alarm starts ringing. A fire can spread very quickly, and you may have less than two minutes to get out safely. This is why fire safety is so important.

Fire Prevention Week is a time to remind everyone to take fire safety seriously. It is also a chance to learn how to prevent fires, prepare for emergencies, and keep our loved ones safe.

  

Make Sure Your Smoke Alarms Work

Smoke alarms are one of the most important safety devices in a home. They warn us when there may be a fire, giving us time to escape.

Here are some things every family should do:

 

●    Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms.

●    Test your smoke alarms every month to make sure they work.

●    Replace the batteries when needed.

●    Check the age of your smoke alarms. Most smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years.

●    Never ignore a smoke alarm when it goes off.

 

Having a working smoke alarm can make a big difference during a fire.

 

Create and Practice a Fire Escape Plan

 

Every family should have a plan for getting out of the house during a fire. Everyone should know at least two ways to escape from each room, when possible.

 

Choose a safe meeting place outside your home, such as a neighbor’s house or a specific tree in your yard. This way, everyone will know where to meet after getting out.

 

It is also important to practice your escape plan. Try doing a two-minute fire drill with your family. Make sure children know what the smoke alarm sounds like and what they should do when they hear it.

If a fire happens, get out as quickly as possible and stay outside. Never go back inside for people, pets, or belongings. Call 911 once you are safely outside.

 

 

Be Careful When Cooking

 

Cooking is one of the main causes of home fires. Sometimes, people leave food cooking while they go to another room, and this can lead to a fire.

 

To stay safe in the kitchen:

 

●    Never leave food cooking unattended.

●    Turn off the stove if you need to leave the kitchen.

●    Keep paper towels, bags, curtains, and other things that can catch fire away from the stove.

●    Avoid wearing loose clothing while cooking.

●    Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove.

●    Keep a lid nearby in case a small pan fire starts.

 

If a grease fire starts, never pour water on it. If it is safe to do so, turn off the heat and cover

the pan with a lid. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cool. If you are unsure what to do, leave the area and call 911.

 

 

Teach Children About Fire Safety

 

Children should learn that matches, lighters, and fire are not toys. Parents and caregivers should keep matches and lighters in a safe place where children cannot reach them.

 

It is also important to teach children what to do if they find matches or lighters. They should tell a trusted adult instead of touching or playing with them.

 

Parents can also help children feel less afraid of firefighters by teaching them about the important work firefighters do to protect people.

 

 

Protect Your Family from Carbon Monoxide

 

Carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas that you cannot see, smell, or taste. It can come from fuel-burning appliances, generators, and other equipment.

 

To protect your family:

 

●    Install carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home and near sleeping areas.

●    Have your heating systems, chimneys, and vents checked regularly.

●    Never use a generator, grill, or camp stove inside your home, garage, or basement.

●    Never use a gas oven or stove to heat your home.

●    Keep heating equipment and vents clear.

 

Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness, and confusion. If you think carbon monoxide is in your home, get everyone outside into fresh air immediately and call 911.

 

 

Make Sure Everyone Is Included in Your Plan

 

Not everyone can escape a fire in the same way. Some people may need extra help, including young children, older adults, and people with disabilities.

 

When making your escape plan, think about how you can help everyone in your household get out safely. For example, someone who is deaf or hard of hearing may need a special alarm, while someone with mobility difficulties may need assistance leaving the home.

 

Practicing together helps everyone feel more prepared.

 

 

How the Red Cross Helps

 

The American Red Cross works with communities to help families stay safe from home fires. Through its Home Fire Campaign, the Red Cross and its partners help install free smoke alarms, teach families about fire safety, and create home fire escape plans.

 

The Red Cross also helps families after a home fire by providing support, emergency assistance, and information about recovery resources.

 

 

Start Preparing Today

 

Fire Prevention Week is a great reminder that a little preparation can help protect your family. You do not have to wait for a fire to happen before taking action.

 

Take a few minutes today to:

 

●    Test your smoke alarms.

●    Check your fire escape plan.

●    Practice a two-minute fire drill.

●    Learn how to prevent kitchen fires.

●    Make sure everyone in your home knows what to do during an emergency. For more information about fire safety and Red Cross resources, visit redcross.org/fire.

Written by: Amarachi Arize-Nwokoye, Communications Volunteer, American Red Cross of WNY

Help prevent home fires this Thanksgiving

Did you know that Thanksgiving and the day before are the top two days for the chance of a cooking fire to happen in someone's home in the U.S.? 

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, home fire injuries and the second-leading cause of home fire deaths. If you're helping to prep this year's Thanksgiving feast, help make sure you and your loved ones stay safe with these safety tips from the American Red Cross of Western New York.

COOKING SAFETY TIPS:

·       Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.

·       Use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on.

·       Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.

·       Keep kids and pets at least three feet away from cooking areas.

·       Keep anything that can catch on fire — potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels or curtains — away from your stove top and oven or any other appliance that generates heat.

·       Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.

·       Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen.

·       Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving home to make sure all stoves, ovens and small appliances are turned off.

 

Follow these safety tips and visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including a fire escape plan to practice with your household.

Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, on each level of your home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms if you sleep with doors closed. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year. 

If you cannot afford to purchase smoke alarms or are physically unable to install one, the Red Cross may be able to help. Visit redcross.org/homefiresafetywny or contact your local Red Cross for more information. 

Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, working with community installation partners, has saved 53 lives in the Western New York region and at least 1,928 lives across the country by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas across the country. 

Lives Saved: Binghamton family escapes home fire days after Red Cross smoke alarm install

“If they hadn’t come, I couldn’t even imagine.”

For months, Cassandra Simmons had been prompted to install smoke alarms in the Binghamton home she shares with her husband, daughter and three grandchildren after a recent construction project.

“I had a hard time getting them where they needed to go and then I would see something else in the mail for the American Red Cross and so I thought let me give them a call.”

This past February a team of Red Cross volunteers as part of the Sound the Alarm Home Fire campaign visited Simmons’ home to install free smoke alarms throughout her home and provide lifesaving home fire safety education, including a two-minute escape plan in the event of a home fire.

“It brings me to tears every time. It was Thursday and then that Sunday, if we didn’t have the Red Cross come in here, I don’t think myself and my grandson would be here.”

That Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday. While her 8-year-old grandson was getting ready for a Super Bowl celebration, a fire broke out in the upstairs bathroom at the top of the stairs and adjacent to the children’s bedrooms.

“We’d already had a smoke alarm in the hallway, so when the man from the Red Cross put them up, he asked if we’d like one upstairs. When I asked ‘what would you do’ he said yes, because by the time the smoke reaches the alarm we already had, it might be too late to get out of the house,” Simmons explained.

Recounting that day, Simmons isn’t sure what made her ask the question of the Red Cross volunteer, but she is thankful she did.

“He was so right. If he hadn’t put that there, I wouldn’t have heard the smoke alarm until it was too late. There would have been no room for me to get down the stairs because the fire started along the back of the bathroom door. By the time that smoke would have reached downstairs, the upstairs would have been engulfed in flames.”

Simmons, her husband, grandson and 9-year-old granddaughter, who had been upstairs in her bedroom at the time of the fire, managed to safely escape the home and call 911. 

“I was scared, I was crying, I was cold,” Simmons explained. “We were standing outside and the Red Cross came and they were so nice. The gentleman from the Red Cross put a blanket around me. They gave us enough blankets for all of us, a care package with everything you can think of that you may need. They were just very kind. And they stayed in touch with us by calling us to make sure that we were OK and reaching out to the agencies that would be able to help us.”

Now four and a half months later, Simmons and her family are finally able to move back into the home they shared with a renewed appreciation for the little things, a greater desire to pay it forward and plans to help those in need, and some invaluable advice for all those Simmons encounters from here on out.

“Once it happens there’s no going back it’s too late,” Simmons said. “Everybody I know from now on will hear from me, ‘do you have a smoke alarm?’ Because if not, call this number. All it takes is a phone call.”

Since 2014, the Sound the Alarm Home Fire Safety campaign has helped to save lives and make homes safer locally and across the country. You can schedule your home fire safety visit, which includes the installation of free smoke alarms and home fire safety education including a two-minute escape plan year-round by clicking here.

Sounding the Alarm to Save Lives

The world looks a bit different than it did when the American Red Cross kicked off its 2021 Sound the Alarm campaign on April 8 in Buffalo.

Chief Disaster Officer Ken Turner
joined a team of volunteers to install
free smoke alarms in Buffalo, NY on June 8

The weather is noticeably, and thankfully, warmer; we are beginning to climb out of the pandemic and reunite with loved ones and along with that the American Red Cross of Western New York has resumed free smoke alarm installations – a cornerstone of the Sound the Alarm campaign. 

Every 8 minutes, Red Cross volunteers respond to a disaster-related incident – the majority of which are home fires. Through the Sound the Alarm/Home Fire Safety campaign Red Cross volunteers focus on helping families across Western New York to prevent, respond to and recover from home fires. From helping families to create their two-minute escape plan to installing smoke alarms, volunteers within our 27-county footprint have reached thousands of homes helping to save lives.

In a COVID-19 environment, our methods looked a bit different this year. This spring, much of the campaign focused on a virtual home fire safety education component, with limited smoke alarm installations taking place through our partners with the Gates Fire Department, Paul Davis and the West Webster Fire Department.

Despite these challenges, Red Cross volunteers rose to the occasion reaching nearly 800 homes and installing more than 1,200 smoke alarms as part of the 2021 Sound the Alarm/Home Fire Safety campaign!

Red Cross volunteer Melanie Pandich reviews a home
 fire escape plan with Rochester resident Mary Kay Smyth
during the Sound the Alarm Day of Action on May 8

As a result, since its launch in 2014, more than 12,000 homes across the Western New York region have been reached, more than 30,000 free smoke alarms have been installed and most importantly, 39 lives have been saved as a direct result of the campaign.

This lifesaving work is a testament to the dedication of our Red Cross volunteers, partner organizations and sponsors including:

Installation Partners

·         Gates Fire Company

·         Paul Davis

·         West Webster Fire Department

·         Spencerport Fire Department

·         Laurelton Fire Department

·         Geneva Fire Department

Campaign Sponsors

·         NFA, National Fire Adjustment Inc.

·         National Grid

·         Corning Incorporated Foundation

·         Lewis Tree Service

·         Dryden Mutual Insurance Co.

·         ESL Federal Credit Union

·         Geico Buffalo

·         M&T Bank

·         Linde

·         DiMino’s Lewiston Tops

·         Ingram Micro

·         Paychex

·         Phillips Lytle, LLP

·         Rich Products

When the worst happens, the Red Cross is there. While the pandemic may have impacted the approach, it only served to strengthen the resolve of the Red Cross workforce and our mission. As many of us begin to resume normal activities, we encourage families to join the Red Cross in helping to end home fires within our community by learning more or signing up for a free smoke alarm today.

 

"If it wasn't for the smoke alarms, my son would've never got out."

"The fire was very devastating. We lost pretty much everything," Margaret Phillips said of the fire that ripped through her Whitney Point, NY, mobile home in November 2018. They had just put in new rugs that had to be ripped out after the fire, and many of the walls had to be torn down.

Smoke alarms installed by Red Cross volunteers one month earlier,
and the fire safety information they provided, helped
Margaret Phillips' son, Matthew, safely escape their burning
Whitney Point, NY, home in November, 2018
Photo by: Chuck Haupt, American Red Cross

Fortunately, however, the only injury was a burned hand suffered by her son, Matthew, thanks to smoke alarms installed by Red Cross volunteers a month earlier. The alarms woke Matthew up, but he was unable to escape through the fire. Thankfully, the neighbors heard the smoke alarm and were able to contact Margaret and the local fire department, who were able to rescue Matthew.

"If it wasn't for the smoke detectors, my son probably would never have gotten out of the house," Margaret said. "Nobody would've have known it was burning, because where we live is so secluded. Nobody would've have ever known if it wasn't for the smoke alarms going off."

Margaret said the smoke alarms were still going off when she returned to the home four days later to begin the clean-up and recovery process. She also said the fire safety information provided by Red Cross volunteers during their installation visit helped Matthew stay safe until help arrived.

Since the Home Fire Campaign launched in 2014, volunteers in Western and Central New York have made more than 3,000 homes and families safer, installing more than 10,000 free smoke alarms and providing fire safety information. These efforts have saved over 625 lives across the country, including 25--like Matthew Phillips--right here in Western and Central New York.

Help us Sound the Alarm by volunteering to install alarms, making a donation to help keep this program free, or signing up for an free installation appointment at soundthealrm.org/wcny.

10,000 Homes Made Safer

Jake Pumputis learned you have
as little as two minutes to safely
escape a burning home.

10,000 homes. It's a pretty staggering number by itself. But when you consider that's the number of Western and Central New York homes our volunteers have visited since the Home Fire Campaign began in 2014, it takes on a whole new meaning.

"I learned a lot in the last ten minutes!" With home visits constantly taking place, it's hard to determine actually which home was the 10,000th our volunteers helped make safer. But Jake Pumputis' apartment in Rochester is close. He heard about the campaign from a close friend, and felt the fire safety information he was provided was just as important as the free smoke alarms volunteers installed during their late August, 2019, visit.

"I would recommend it, and everyone should take part, regardless of if you own or rent," Pumputis said.

"I think it's wonderful, I'm proud to live where the Red Cross started!" Cheryl Ingalls lives in

Disaster Program Specialist Meghan Crowley installs a
free smoke alarm in Cheryl Ingalls' Dansville, NY, home.

Dansville, NY, where Clara Barton founded the first American Red Cross Chapter in 1881. Volunteers visited her home a day after helping Pumputis learn more about fire safety.

"I heard from a friend, and it helped since I couldn't get them myself," Ingalls said of the free smoke alarms volunteers installed in her home.

Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half. 25 lives in Western and Central New York have been saved thanks to the free smoke alarms installed by Red Cross volunteers over the past five years. We know that with your continued support, we can have the same impact in the next 10,000 homes we visit.

Help us Sound the Alarm for fire safety by volunteering to help install alarms, making a donation to help keep this lifesaving program free, or by registering for a free installation appointment. Visit soundthealarm.org/wcny to learn more.

-Jay Bonafede, Regional Communications Officer
American Red Cross, Western and Central New York Region

"Volunteering for the Red Cross has made me realize how lucky I am"

"I feel rewarded when I am able to teach people about fire safety," said David Roma as he told me why he became a Red Cross volunteer.

In the November 2014 Buffalo snow storm, David was out helping shoveling driveways for his neighbors. From this, he wished he could help people regularly. His daughter, Nicole, was a volunteer coordinator for the Western New York Chapter. So David went to her, and she helped set him up to be a Red Cross volunteer.

David Roma with fellow volunteer Shirley
Carnall during a Home Fire Campaign event
in the City of Buffalo

David remembers a specific time installing fire alarms for an elderly woman as part of the Home Fire Campaign. He and one other volunteer arrived at the house and found it was very run down. Windows were broken, there was no stove, barely any furniture, and no doors on rooms.  The elderly woman that called them to install fire alarms was the head of the house she housed her daughters and sons and their children, and David knew they simply installing smoke alarms made this family a little safer.

"When I see people like this it makes me realize how lucky I really am", said David.

If you're like David and enjoy helping people, you too can become an American Red Cross volunteer. Our volunteers have a range of opportunities when it comes to deciding what kind of volunteer you would want to be. It ranges from disaster relief to being a desk receptionist. Whatever kind of volunteer you want to be, you'll be helping the Red Cross to do their job to help provide comfort and hope to our neighbors in need.

~Emma Reeve, Communications Intern