SMOKE ALARM SUCCESS IN NEWPORT (PHOTO)
News Release from American Red Cross - Cascades Region
Posted on FlashAlert: April 13th, 2015 2:57 PM
Downloadable file: Red Cross volunteer Nora Alvarez installs a free smoke alarm in a home in Newport's Longview Hills neighborhood. More than 130 devices were installed on Saturday as part of a home fire preparedness outreach event with the Newport Fire Department.
Downloadable file: Newport resident LeAnn Blumenstein reviews home fire preparedness information with Red Cross Disaster Program Manager Trevor Covington on Saturday during a community outreach event aimed at reducing home fire deaths and injuries.
Red Cross volunteers and representatives from the Newport Fire Department
spent a day in the community, installing more than 130 free smoke alarms and
providing fire safety education for area residents.
Newport, OR - April 13, 2015 - The City of Newport had an influx of visitors last weekend, many of whom were Red Cross volunteers in town as part of the organization's Home Fire Preparedness Campaign. The national program aims to reduce the number of fire-related deaths and injuries by 25 percent over the next five years by canvassing neighborhoods, offering to install free smoke alarms and providing residents with home fire safety information. On Saturday in Newport, approximately 40 volunteers visited nearly 400 homes, installed 130 smoke alarms and created home escape plans with more than 50 residents.
Newport Fire Chief Rob Murphy met with volunteers prior to the outreach event and offered his thanks for everyone's help in the event. "The importance of having working smoke alarms can't be overstated," he said. "The Red Cross has our thanks, and our support, for this effort in our community. Even if we save one person's life, your work is worth it."
The outreach event in Newport on Saturday was the seventh one in Oregon since the start of the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign kicked off last October. Cara Sloman, regional disaster program manager for the American Red Cross Cascades Region, says that the Newport event has been the most successful so far in terms of alarms installed. She credits community partnerships in helping to get the word out in advance about the program, and the ability to set appointments for alarm installations in advance of on-site home visits.
In addition to home fire safety information, volunteers discussed earthquake and tsunami safety plans with residents.
The Red Cross in Oregon and Southwest Washington responds to an average of two home fires every day. According to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, 50 Oregonians lost their lives due to fire-related injuries in 2014. That is the highest number since 2008 when there were 53 fire fatalities in the state.
Upcoming Home Fire Preparedness Campaign events are scheduled for Vancouver, WA., on April 18; Portland, OR., on April 25; Bend, OR., on May 2; Lebanon, OR., on May 9; Tillamook, OR., on May 16; and Roseburg, OR., on June 13. For additional information, and a complete list of outreach events, visit www.redcross.org/cascadeshfpc.
The Red Cross advocates emergency preparedness and suggests taking a few moments to review your family's exit plan should there be a fire in your home. Know what to do before, during and after a home fire. This information, and more, is available at www.redcross.org or in a free Prepare! Resource Guide published by the American Red Cross Cascades Region. The guide can be downloaded at http://rdcrss.org/1zq8XW6.
# # #
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies more than 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org/cascades. Or, read about Red Cross volunteers at http://redcrosscascade.blogspot.com/.
spent a day in the community, installing more than 130 free smoke alarms and
providing fire safety education for area residents.
Newport, OR - April 13, 2015 - The City of Newport had an influx of visitors last weekend, many of whom were Red Cross volunteers in town as part of the organization's Home Fire Preparedness Campaign. The national program aims to reduce the number of fire-related deaths and injuries by 25 percent over the next five years by canvassing neighborhoods, offering to install free smoke alarms and providing residents with home fire safety information. On Saturday in Newport, approximately 40 volunteers visited nearly 400 homes, installed 130 smoke alarms and created home escape plans with more than 50 residents.
Newport Fire Chief Rob Murphy met with volunteers prior to the outreach event and offered his thanks for everyone's help in the event. "The importance of having working smoke alarms can't be overstated," he said. "The Red Cross has our thanks, and our support, for this effort in our community. Even if we save one person's life, your work is worth it."
The outreach event in Newport on Saturday was the seventh one in Oregon since the start of the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign kicked off last October. Cara Sloman, regional disaster program manager for the American Red Cross Cascades Region, says that the Newport event has been the most successful so far in terms of alarms installed. She credits community partnerships in helping to get the word out in advance about the program, and the ability to set appointments for alarm installations in advance of on-site home visits.
In addition to home fire safety information, volunteers discussed earthquake and tsunami safety plans with residents.
The Red Cross in Oregon and Southwest Washington responds to an average of two home fires every day. According to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, 50 Oregonians lost their lives due to fire-related injuries in 2014. That is the highest number since 2008 when there were 53 fire fatalities in the state.
Upcoming Home Fire Preparedness Campaign events are scheduled for Vancouver, WA., on April 18; Portland, OR., on April 25; Bend, OR., on May 2; Lebanon, OR., on May 9; Tillamook, OR., on May 16; and Roseburg, OR., on June 13. For additional information, and a complete list of outreach events, visit www.redcross.org/cascadeshfpc.
The Red Cross advocates emergency preparedness and suggests taking a few moments to review your family's exit plan should there be a fire in your home. Know what to do before, during and after a home fire. This information, and more, is available at www.redcross.org or in a free Prepare! Resource Guide published by the American Red Cross Cascades Region. The guide can be downloaded at http://rdcrss.org/1zq8XW6.
# # #
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies more than 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org/cascades. Or, read about Red Cross volunteers at http://redcrosscascade.blogspot.com/.
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