“Get Prepared” During National Fire Safety Week

Although they rarely make front-page news, home fires, which displace thousands of people, and can cause serious injury and/or death, represent the vast majority of disasters that affect the residents of Greater New York each year. Between January and September 2009, the American Red Cross in Greater New York (ARC/GNY) responded to 1,327 home fires in the five boroughs of New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley, and helped more than 7,300 adults and children affected by those fires with financial assistance, emergency housing and emotional support.

The good news about home fires––while they represent the greatest number of the Chapter’s responses, they are one of the most preventable. ARC/GNY urges families to prepare and take action to prevent home fires during National Fire Prevention Week, October 5–9. This preparation doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment or training, and Fire Prevention Week is a great time to get started. In addition to having working smoke alarms on each level of your home, one of the easiest ways to prevent a tragedy is to develop and practice a home fire escape plan so that every family member knows how to escape quickly and safely.

For more information on how you can get prepared, please read our Fire Safety Guide. You can also follow us on Twitter to learn about the many fires the Chapter responds to daily.